Rival gym Lululemon helps Castro’s flooded MX3 Fitness raise big money for storm relief
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — After flood waters destroyed a gym in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood, neighbors have been a big help.
And on Friday, there was another big surprise: Lululemon also took part in the fundraiser for the refurbishment of the gym.
The MX3 Fitness in the Castro area was hit hard by flooding after a New Year’s Eve storm hit the Bay Area.
“When we were standing here, the whole wall seemed to explode with water,” co-owner Dave Carraker said last week. He said that a pipe had burst in one of the walls of the gym.
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“We estimate the cost of repairing the wall, these are the costs of the landlord. It will be about $20,000. Then we will have additional cleaning costs. (And) several thousand dollars of lost wages for employees. Every week we’re closed, we lose about $8,000,” Carraker said.
Carraker said his gym survived the pandemic but was forced to close just as they were expecting a bunch of new clients with New Year’s resolutions.
“We thought we would come out the other side. And then Mother Nature slapped us in the face and said, “Oooh. We’re not done with you yet,” and closing the gym due to flooding was such a punch in the gut,” Carraker said.
Core MVMT, the gym across the street, helped keep the MX3 fit. They organized a GoFundme campaign.
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On Friday, there was another major surprise.
“Lululemon somehow found out about this, came to us and said, “Hey, we want to organize a fundraiser for you in support of GoFundMe,” Carraker said.
All the money raised on this day by the Lululemon pop-up store goes to help MX3.
“We have a link to their GoFundMe. We are asking for a $30 donation for this entire product screen printed with this design from a local artist,” said a Lululemon employee.
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GoFundMe, started by a competitor’s gym, raised $8,000 in less than a week.
Notably, Lululemon helped raise another $5,000 in less than four hours on a rainy day. On Friday night, the total funds raised reached almost $13,000 out of a planned $20,000.
Core MVMT and Lululemon say they’re happy to help.
Core MVMT owner Lisa Tomur said it was a collaborative effort, a team effort, with so many people showing up to show their support. Tomure also said that when her gym flooded last January due to a plumbing emergency, MX3 owners didn’t hesitate to help.
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As for Carraker…
“We are absolutely stunned. If ever this word will be used, then this is it, ”said Carraker. “I can’t thank the mainstream and Lisa Tomure for creating this GoFundMe. This is so touching. It makes me cry a lot and a giant corporation like Lululemon stepped in and helped as well. It shows that there is a lot of good that people want small businesses to survive and thrive,” Carraker said.
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