Alchemy 365 fitness studio will shut Minnesota gyms next month, citing finances

CEO said in a letter that the business has never recovered from the pandemic.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 9, 2024 at 12:22PM
An Alchemy 365 yoga class was held at Keg and Case as part of a promotion in February 2020, weeks before the pandemic shut down gyms. The company says it has never recovered from pandemic woes. (Elizabeth Flores/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Alchemy 365 will shut its four Minnesota fitness studios next month.

The company’s CEO, Tyler Quinn, sent a letter to members Tuesday saying the gym could not overcome issues caused by the pandemic and had too much debt to continue as is.

Alchemy 365′s four gyms in Colorado will remain open.

The gyms specialized in small group fitness classes and strength training. Alchemy 365 had operations in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood, the North Loop, northeast Minneapolis and Edina. A fifth location in Uptown Minneapolis closed in 2021.

Quinn said Alchemy 365 could not make needed investments to keep its gyms current. The Minnesota gyms will have final classes on Nov. 16.

Alchemy 365 is the latest casualty of a pandemic that has hurt two of every three small businesses, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“It’s difficult to know where to begin the explanation,” said Quinn, also a co-founder. “Rebounding from the pandemic has simply not panned out as we’d hoped. Despite a lot of great people working very hard, we never quite figured out how to reconcile our pre-pandemic leases, debts, and operating budget with our post-pandemic revenue.”

Quinn said many of its coaches are already working at other Twin Cities gyms. Alchemy employed fewer than 50 workers in Minnesota.

about the writer

about the writer

Dee DePass

Reporter

Dee DePass is an award-winning business reporter covering Minnesota small businesses for the Minnesota Star Tribune. She previously covered commercial real estate, manufacturing, the economy, workplace issues and banking.

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