Lower East Side hitting the weights

Property owner Ike Escava knew the Lower East Side needed another gym, but he didn't want a New York Sports Club or an Equinox to open in the hipster haven.

Mr. Escava took matters into his own hands, renting a 5,500-square-foot space to a startup called Ludlow Fitness. The gym, which landed a 16-year lease, will open in November at 100 Delancey St., on the corner of Ludlow Street. "It's not a chain coming in and doing the same thing they do everywhere," Mr. Escava says.

Former real estate broker Mason Goldberg founded Ludlow Fitness to serve area devotees who have resisted the influx of national chains. "A major brand wouldn't be received as well as I have been," he says.

To date, about 250 people have joined the gym, where a yearlong membership costs less than $400.

Messrs. Goldberg and Escava negotiated the deal privately. The asking rent was less than $30 per square foot for the second-story location.

--Elisabeth Butler

©2006 Crain Communications Inc.