For 16 years, Ballard Health Club has been northern Seattle’s best-kept secret. The club is hidden in the basement of the historic Ballard building, where the owner and general manager Pat Gilbrough has been working hard to maintain the community vibe that his members love.
Before Gilbrough was the owner of Ballard Health Club, he owned a software company in the same building. He remembers becoming a member of the club when it first opened 16 years ago and falling in love with it. As a result, when the previous owner was looking to sell the gym to someone who could carry on the unique vibe, Gilbrough was an obvious choice.
“I’ve always been into fitness,” said Gilbrough. “I used to have a weight problem way back when and I began working out to fix that. So I’ve been here quite a bit,and so I wanted to spread the word of that to other people. I see a lot of middle-aged guys that are overweight, out of shape and unhappy. And we’re trying to do what we can to help with that.”
There are a few national gyms in the area, but Gilbrough said he doesn’t feel the need to hire a sales team or do any marketing in order to compete. His focus is on hiring a good staff that will make people feel at ease and maintaining the gym’s good reputation. This generates positive word of mouth that has traveled far.
“The biggest deal here is the vibe and it has been around here a long time,” said Gilbrough. “So the people are happy here and they talk about that on the Web. They just feel very comfortable coming here, and we bend over backwards to nurture that, versus the typical selling of something.”
Catering to every individual is key, said Gilbrough. Ballard Health Club has a diverse community whose members have varying needs. There are older residents, young professionals and a large group of third-shift workers that come in during the day. So maintaining a variety of equipment and offering classes such as “SilverSneakers” for the elderly or “Butt and Gut” for younger members is important.
Gilbrough plans to expand the gym soon, as well as nurture its online presence with a new website and a bigger social media platform. But for now he likes the club right where it’s at, as the community’s secret in the basement of an old historic building.
By Ethan Smith
