One Corner, Three Callings

It’s a bit surreal.

The exact location I attended preschool and church potluck dinners as a child will soon be the spot I’ll (struggle to) lift weights and ride a stationary bike as a 40-something adult.

From CCD classes at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church to HIIT classes at Crunch Fitness.

Joe Overby (center in skeleton costume, holding hands with his little sister, aka Super Girl) at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Cary during the late 1980s. The church was located on the exact ground on which the new Crunch Fitness is opening. Contributed by Joe Overby

“Lord Almighty” being uttered by yours truly in both instances.

Some three decades have passed since the church where I received my First Communion decamped for an eventual larger facility.

And the commercial development in Cary that replaced it on the property adjacent to the intersection of Walnut Street and SE Maynard Road may seem like just another shopping center in a town full of them. Flanked by a gas station and a high school, its tenants include offices, retail storefronts, and a Mexican restaurant.

But the places occupying this land, religious and secular alike, have nurtured souls, broadened minds, and put food on the table (literally and figuratively) for decades.

And the future anchor tenant of this plaza, Crunch Fitness, is looking to be an “extension of the community,” much like the gathering places that have come before.

Places like St. Mike’s, which formed the bedrock of my faith as well as thousands of others’. Or the next tenant, Barnes & Noble, that fostered a fascination for reading and rock music, at least for one tragically unhip Cary middle schooler in the mid-’90s.

Contributed by Joe Overby

For some, like my future sister-in-law who lived nearby, the bookstore was also a place to study. And just across the parking lot, Romano’s Macaroni Grill was a place where college kids, like my older sister, could earn a buck and show off their server skills to the family.

The newest gathering place on the block, Crunch Fitness, is set to open around the first quarter of 2027.

As a Crunch member myself, former St. Mike’s parishioner, and frequent listener of alt-rock CDs at Barnes & Noble as a teen, I was intrigued by this full-circle moment coming to the neighborhood where I spent much of my youth.

So, I talked with the folks behind the new Crunch, and what I found is that they’re aiming to foster a similar sense of belonging that the previous tenants brought.

This gym will be the third location in the Triangle for franchisee JFF North America, which currently has 37 Crunch gyms throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, with another eight on the way.

“One of the things I automatically think of (about Crunch) is that it still feels a lot like a mom-and-pop local gym,” says Ashton Harrell, president and chief operating officer of JFF North America. “That’s really what we consider ourselves.”

Images courtesy of JFF North America/Crunch Fitness

The entire JFF executive team and vice president–level employees originated at the group’s first gym, “so we consider our team and our members like our family,” Ashton says.

“I can still go back to the first gym I ever worked at in our company up in Richmond, Virginia, and I see the same members,” she says. “I still know their names. They still know me. And that was 10 years ago.

“I think what’s really cool is that Crunch is a franchise, but they allow so much independent operating plays as well, that it really allows you to have this local, family-oriented gym feel …

“When you talk about big brands and chains and things like that, you lose so much of that, and we still have so much of that local neighborhood gym feel.”

Maintaining that neighborhood vibe is a priority emphasized by existing Crunch members, says Jonny Braddock, senior vice president of growth and facilities at JFF.

“We’ve had tremendous success with our two clubs over in Raleigh,” Jonny says, referring to the Crunch locations on Creedmoor Road and in the Village District.

“And one thing we’ve been hearing a lot about the feedback from our members there is that they want locations closer to home. And when we’re looking through what that means, a name that kept coming up was Cary. I think there’s a high need here,” he says.

The team has already started making itself at home in Cary. Crunch ambassadors have been out and about in the town this summer, reaching out to local businesses, hosting membership signup drives, and meeting folks in the community.

Image courtesy of JFF North America/Crunch Fitness

“We have a whole process whenever we open a new gym (where) we hire a team of really passionate fitness enthusiasts who go out and share the word with everyone in the community,” says Jake McCabe, JFF’s chief marketing officer. “So it’s things like 5K races and health fairs and really meeting and engaging the community where they are.

“And then from the marketing side, we look for all the places where our potential customers are at to engage them both on traditional media, as well as social media on Instagram and TikTok and Facebook,” he said.

“But really the whole idea is to get out of the construction area out into the community and find people where they are.”

Image courtesy of JFF North America/Crunch Fitness

Meeting people where they are, so to speak, is part of the mantra at Crunch, Ashton agrees.

The gyms are designed to be for all fitness levels and meet the needs and goals of a wide variety of members. That includes equipment ranging from hammer strength machines and powerlifting platforms to free weights and cardio. Classes and studios specializing in Zumba, HIIT, cycling, rest/recovery, and hot yoga.

Whether your needs are training, toning, or tanning, Crunch aims to serve a wide base of needs and goals, Ashton says.

“It really doesn’t matter who you are, there’s something for you here,” she says. “Whatever your fitness goals are, whatever your background is, there’s something here to help you and for you.”

The Cary location of Crunch Fitness will have a similar layout and amenities to this one on Ireland Drive in Fayetteville.

Just like Crunch aims to be a fit for its members, Cary was a natural fit for JFF North America, especially the neighborhood into which the gym is moving.

“Cary actually has been a market we have been looking at for years, trying to find the right box in the right place in Cary,” Ashton says. “It’s a fast-growing space in Raleigh. It really fits our target demographic.”

There are also population-dense residential neighborhoods surrounding the shopping center, as well as Cary High School and multiple shopping centers nearby, including Crossroads Plaza and Fenton, both of which are off major highways.

“So we’re very conveniently located as you’re just running out and about your errands coming to and from work.  You really are going to be easily passing by our location. So it’s convenient for people,” Ashton says.

Image courtesy of JFF North America/Crunch Fitness

“The market is great for us. And our plan is to really continue building out the Raleigh market. And so this is a perfect piece in that puzzle.”

Dry plunge & hot yoga: What’s on tap at Crunch Cary

You’ve likely heard of a cold plunge.

But a dry plunge?

“It looks like an oversized hydromassage chair, and it’s a cold plunge without the mess, essentially,” says Jonny Braddock, senior vice president of growth and facilities at JFF North America, the franchisee bringing a Crunch Fitness location to Cary in early 2027.

“It’s great for recovery, reducing inflammation, and it also improves people’s mood,” Jonny says. “I think a cold plunge in the morning is an incredible way to start off the day, sans caffeine.”

The PolarWave Dry Cold Plunge from WellnessSpace Brands is one of several amenities that JFF has planned for its upcoming Cary gym, which will be located in the former Barnes & Noble building near the intersection of Walnut Street and SE Maynard Road.

JFF plans to make the location, which encompasses more than 40,000 square feet, its flagship Crunch location in North Carolina, says Chief Operating Officer Ashton Harrell.

Image courtesy of JFF North America/Crunch Fitness

It will be the group’s third location in the Triangle, joining existing Crunch gyms in Raleigh on Creedmoor Road and in the Village District.

The Cary facility will be built to reflect Crunch’s 3.0 model, Jonny says, so it will have a different layout and set of amenities than the two Raleigh gyms.

“We have additional turf spaces, which is really cool for functional workouts, stretching, that kind of stuff,” Jonny says. “There’s also a fully dedicated relax and recover area, which is going to have anything from tanning and red light therapy to massage guns, multiple different kinds of massage chairs, a posing room for people, whether they want a selfie or whether they’re a competitive bodybuilder. I’m sure we’ll get a mixture of both in there.”

And, of course, the dry plunge, which looks remarkably similar to existing hydromassage chairs at Crunch’s Raleigh locations.

“In fact, it’s even that same brand. So anyone who’s used one of those would be very familiar with how the console looks. They’re able to adjust specific temperatures, whether it be on their arms or their neck, so they can adjust the individual zones on the touchscreens, just like hydromassage,” Jonny says.

The layout of the facility will also have a more distinct separation of activity zones.

The first thing guests will see walking in will be a straight view of the new secondary turf, Jonny says. The various studios will be around the perimeter of the facility, including the Kids Crunch studio that will have its own theater.

As far as classes, most will be similar to what Crunch’s Raleigh locations offer, but one new twist is the Hot Stuff Studio, which will start by offering hot yoga and eventually other classes like hot Pilates and hot barre.

“One thing that’s pretty cool now with the new turf space is (that) the HIIT zone itself is sectioned off into its own room,” Jonny says.

“That’s, of course, available when classes aren’t going on just like normal, but even when classes are going on, they’ll still have a similar space out on the main floor,” he says. “So it’ll be similar classes, but an expanded schedule because of the extra studios and extra space.”

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