(Gym) *

Open since 1978, and listed in Damron's Address Book. Current owners Erik Flowers and his aunt, Jackie Joniec, bought the gym in 2000. The gym has over 7000 sq. ft of workout space.

The gym’s previous owners had given discounts to clients of AIDS Project Los Angeles, but eventually stopped. Flowers and Joniec started up the relationship again, and also have given discounted memberships to the nearby Alternatives residential treatment program, which caters to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people dealing with AIDS, HIV, addiction and other problems.

“We had to look back at the gym’s history and saw what it went through with the AIDS epidemic in the ‘80s,” says Flowers. “You have to be considerate in order to be part of the neighborhood. Some of the people who are HIV-impacted or have addictions don’t have cars anymore, and they can only survive in the neighborhood and what it has to offer them.” (L.A. Times, 2004 Jan. 5)