Life was going well for Grayston Leonard - he was a route setter at a popular gym ten minutes from his house in L.A. Things were easy, but he saw an opportunity, and took the bold step into gym ownership. He and his partner Yan Wang, who is an architect, purchased a building and set out to create a modern bouldering gym/studio to service the neglected Long Beach area. The building was a former Packard car dealership with classic mid-century architecture.
Long Beach Rising ended up being a bigger project than any of us anticipated. The entire bouldering area needed to be dug out to leave room for the beautiful wood trusses and ceilings that were already in place. While this was not initially planned for, it became obvious that it would add so much more character and charm to the experience. It was a bold decision to incur this extra cost, but was clearly worth it. We then worked with Grayston to create his dream set of walls and padding systems that were aesthetic, economical and allowed for unlimited creativity now and as setting trends evolve. Positioned next to a new brewery and restaurant with a shared common space, we’re excited to see what kind of culture is spawned here.
Be sure to send Grayston and the LBR team a BIG congrats for opening their new gym, and follow LBR on Instagram to stay up-to-date with daily happenings!