VITAL Brooklyn

Address: 221 N 14th Street Brooklyn, NY 11249

Phone: (716) 220-8195

Working hours: 

9am - 11pm daily
24/7 for members

www.vitalclimbinggym.com/brooklyn

THE PEOPLE

My name is Dave and I started VITAL in 2010 with my friend, Nam. Nam and I learned to climb together and decided to try and start a gym together after graduating college. We had no idea what we were doing but somehow managed to open a little gym that people really loved.

I think people could tell we cared a lot and that we worked hard to make the space nice. And people liked that we trusted them. We let members into the gym 24/7, even when there were no staff present. Food, shoe rentals, and guest passes were paid for on the honor system. We have been blown away by how trustworthy our members are, which is why we are still able to operate this way to this day. 

Nam and I are still best friends (Nam is Godfather to both my kids), and we still own and run VITAL. We love all of our gyms as though they were our children. We work hard when we open each new gym, and do a lot of the work ourselves (everything from driving forklifts, to installing equipment, to welding on the slacklines). We push ourselves to the limit with each new project, learning a lot each step of the way. This has made for an often rewarding and sometimes terrifying entrepreneurial ride, but we love what we do.

Every step forward has been supported by an incredible team of people. Many of our staff have been with us from the beginning, and it is only with their positive energy and hard work that any of this has been possible. The people who work at VITAL are what bring the company to life. They are what form deep connections with the neighborhood and define a culture and an energy that lifts spirits and brings people together. If you are ever lucky enough to meet someone who has been with VITAL for a while, you should know that they have played an important part in making VITAL what it is today. I am grateful and humbled every day for the incredible amount of hard work, creativity, and kindness that our team brings to VITAL.

Information and photos taken from the site: www.vitalclimbinggym.com/brooklyn