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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After a sudden opportunity arose just four blocks from its current shop, Pete’s Bagels is preparing to move into a new space twice the size of its current location in the Grand Central District.
The local bagel company will relocate from 2361 1st Avenue South to 1900 1st Avenue South, a 4,200-square-foot repurposed Quonset hut that most recently housed the vegan restaurant Good Intentions, which closed earlier this summer after four years in business.
Pete’s plans to close its current shop for one day on Monday, October 5th, while its team moves equipment and furnishings overnight. The new location is expected to open Tuesday, October 6th.
Owner Steven Peterman said Pete’s was not actively searching for a larger space, but its current landlord planned work to the property that would have required the business to close temporarily.
The owners of the Good Intentions building, who also own Pete’s former production kitchen, reached out about the available space.