San Francisco CrossFit Announces Closure After Nearly 15 Years
For nearly 15 years, San Francisco CrossFit (SFCF) has been a central location of fitness and community for members and coaches alike. Created in a parking lot behind a Sports Basement franchise in 2005 by Kelly and Julie Starrett, SFCF was the first CrossFit gym to open in San Francisco, CA, and only the 21st CrossFit gym to open worldwide.
Unfortunately, on November 15th, 2020, SFCF will be holding their final classes before closing their doors for good.
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Decision To Close SFCF
The decision to close SFCF comes amidst the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic in combination with the cost of operating a business in the city of San Francisco, on top of declining membership and “upcoming loss of daylight and inclement weather.” In their announcement, the owners write:
“…running a brick-and-mortar business in the most expensive real estate market and in one of the most COVID-shutdown-restrictive counties in the US during a pandemic has been extremely stressful on us emotionally and financially.”
Throughout the COVID-19 shutdowns, which began in March, SFCF had not furloughed any of its staff despite facing what they knew was “an existential threat” to the business.
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The Early Days of SFCF
The Starretts thanked those who made the “third place” in their lives (the other two being work and home) a reality for the them and their members.
We wanted to create a place where people felt valued and seen, safe to make errors, and also to feel better and improve their fitness.
The early days of SFCF involved “deadlifts in the rain” and growth of a “community, fellowship, and family…around the SFCF squat racks.”
One of the many notable names to step through the doors of SFCF was their first ever coach, Adrian Bozman. He is currently lead judge of the CrossFit Games. Another person of note was the third ever SFCF coach, Diane Fu, founder of FuBarbell.
In the three months prior to the government imposed shutdowns, SFCF hosted over 700 different people in their classes.
Feature image via San Francisco CrossFit’s Instagram page: @sfcf