Professional bodybuilder opens high-end training gym in north St. Pete
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A new gym is coming to St. Petersburg’s Gateway area this summer. Champs Elysium Gym is a semi-private facility created by professional bodybuilder Derek Lunsford and his wife, Jhelsin. It will open at 3051 Tech Drive in a 15,000-square-foot industrial space.
The gym will cater to elite athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts. Membership will be limited to maintain a focused training environment. “We aren’t trying to compete with other gyms,” said Lunsford. “Each one offers something different. Ours will be capped so it never feels overcrowded.”
The name Champs Elysium comes from Greek mythology. It refers to a paradise reserved for heroes and the righteous.
Inside, the gym will feature over 150 pieces of strength and cardio equipment. Most machines are from Newtech, a South Korea-based company that designs gear specifically for bodybuilders. The brand is also a title sponsor of the Olympia World Championship.
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More than six years after the Wagon Wheel Flea Market closed its doors, plans are taking shape to redevelop the sprawling property that was once home to one of Pinellas County's most popular weekend shopping destinations.
Pinellas Park-based Belleair Development Group is under contract to purchase approximately 156 acres at 7801 Park Boulevard North, where the Wagon Wheel and Mustang flea markets operated for more than five decades before closing in 2020.
Christian Yepes, owner of Belleair Development Group alongside his father, Carlos Yepes, confirmed the company is exploring options for a mixed-use development that could bring residential and commercial uses to the largely vacant property.
“We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to develop such a landmark in Pinellas County. We are currently in the midst of due diligence and are exploring mixed-use development options at the site,” Yepes said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.
The property is currently owned by the family of Hardy Huntley, who founded the Wagon Wheel Flea Market with his wife, Janet, in the 1960s.