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Join Colaw Fitness. Give the Gift of Water.Oklahoma City Gyms | An Oklahoma Classic
This content was written for Colaw Fitness
A sweeping sense of state pride falls on Oklahomans. Whether it be its western history, its beautiful sunsets, or even the musical, people love Oklahoma. Colaw Fitness has its roots in Oklahoma and likely always will. If you are looking for Oklahoma City gyms, we might be the gym for you. Therefore, we love our Oklahoma heritage and the story of how we came about. If this interests you in the slightest, give us a call at 918-766-3353 for more information. We hope you make Colaw Fitness your new gym home.
Charles and Amber Colaw were married in the summer of 2004. By the end of that year they had made the decision to open their own gym. Everybody would be welcome in this gym no matter what background they would come with. However, they did not have the resources at the time to build a large facility. Nor did they have the ability to compete with major competition just down the street. Yet, they pushed forward with their dream anyways.
By 2005, they had pulled up the carpet in their living room and put down rubber flooring. A private training studio would be the way that they would begin serving the community. From six o’clock in the morning to ten o’clock in the evening, they were training clients. Charles acquired training certifications from the Cooper Institute to further his understanding.
To go from their home to Oklahoma City gyms is remarkable. In order to make ends meet, Amber also put her cosmetology license to good use. In the front room were people training. And in the back room was a small hair studio. Hence, they worked day in and day out to create what we now know as Colaw Fitness. At some point, their neighbors finally complained that there was nowhere left to park because of the clients.
Therefore, they needed a new location. They decided to open up their first location in Eastland shopping center in Bartlesville, OK. This town of about thirty thousand people is about an hour north of Tulsa. Additionally, it is home to the headquarters of Conoco-Phillips, now Phillips 66. Alongside this, few people know about the Frank Lloyd Wright skyscraper in downtown Bartlesville.
In order to be able to open their doors, they had to secure a hefty (at the time) business loan. They asked their neighbors, church friends, and relatives to sign a petition to help them. This story of the American dream landed them in Oklahoma City gyms. Once they opened their doors, it was an immediate hit. They were still training clients day in and day out. All the while, they were raising two young boys with a girl on the way. Over time, they expanded into the units next to their original one.
After that, they moved into the ones next to those. At the time it was known as Body by Colaw, a moniker they would hold for years. Eventually, Charles and Amber changed the name to Colaw Fitness and left “Body by” in the past. It took nearly a decade, but Colaw Fitness was finally turning a profit that could sustain growth. As a result, they started researching potential markets. Hence, in 2015 they began construction on their second club in Joplin, MO.
The second club opened in Joplin on January 1st, 2016. This was an ideal date for a grand-opening. As soon as they opened the doors, hordes of people barreled in to sign up for memberships. Before Colaw Fitness opened Joplin and Oklahoma City gyms, there was an entirely different brand. For their first few years, the colors were black, gray, and red. This was a nod towards the popular fitness colors of its time. Before their move to Joplin, they decided to make the change to green and blue. They felt that these colors would express a hospitable environment for their new members. Henceforth, the slogan for Colaw Fitness would be “You Are Worth It.” Thus, the atmosphere Charles and Amber sought was finally realized. The community loved it!
After its first year of operations, it was also doing remarkably well. By 2017, construction on the third location began in Topeka, KS. Admittedly, by now the model was set. Everybody knew that Topeka would be a huge hit. Therefore, it was no surprise when business starting booming in Topeka! From this point, they knew that they could not be stopped! As a result, in 2020 they started construction on Arlington and Oklahoma City gyms. These gyms would be in another tier higher than even Topeka. However, the mission still stands. We exist to make Jesus famous and to change lives. Charles and Amber give all the credit for the booming business to Jesus of Nazareth. As a result, they have chosen to give away free bibles at all of their fitness centers. Alongside this, they have partnered with Life.Church and YouVersion to spread the good news.
It does not stop there either. Before building their Oklahoma City gyms, they partnered with Justin Wren’s Fight For the Forgotten. Justin Wren, an Oklahoma City native, supplies water wells for the Maputi Pygmy people of Uganda and Congo. Colaw Fitness gives the first dollar of every new membership to Fight For the Forgotten to help with these projects. Charles and Amber strive to be the biggest go-givers in the fitness industry. As a result, they have been labeled the Chick-Fil-A of the industry.
In conclusion, Colaw Fitness is building Oklahoma City gyms because we love Oklahoma. If you are interest in being a part of Colaw Fitness, call us at 918-766-3353. We would love to get you more information on how your membership betters the world around you. Therefore, we have supplied our website with plenty of useful information. There you will find membership amenities, payment options, and more! Here recently we have even added a virtual tour for each of our facilities. We did this in the middle of the night so you can travel through it with ease. Therefore, we cannot wait to serve you and see you face to face in one of our clubs! Grace and peace to you.