[EXCLUSIVE] Gold's Gym "Gains" a Presence in Buckhead

A familiar fitness franchise is returning to metro Atlanta after a multi-year absence.  Gold's Gym has signed on to open in the remaining portion of the former Bed Bath & Beyond in Buckhead Station (3495 Buckhead Loop) and should open in 2026.  

ToNeTo Atlanta heard rumblings in recent weeks that the 22,967 square foot space had been leased to a "fitness user," but it was not until this week that we were able to confirm Gold's Gym as the tenant. 

Spirit Halloween most recently occupied the space, but it was only a seasonal tenant and the suite has remained largely vacant following Bed Bath & Beyond's closure in early 2023.  Bloomingdale's The Outlet opened in the larger portion of the space last August.  

Gold's joins a crowded fitness market in Buckhead with large operators like LA Fitness (2) The Forum Athletic Club, and Life Time already in the area, along with more than a dozen smaller boutique operators.  

Joe Gold opened the first Gold's Gym in August 1965 in Venice Beach, California, long before modern-day health clubs such as LA Fitness (1984) or Life Time (1992) existed.  The original Venice Beach location was frequented by Arnold Schwarzenegger, among other bodybuilders.  

Metro Atlanta once had more than a half dozen Gold's Gym locations, but most have closed in recent years, with several locally and around the country shutting down in 2020 after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  Among the notable locations Gold's once had in metro Atlanta were 215 Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta next to Hard Rock Cafe, 6315 Spalding Drive in Norcross, and 6335 Roswell Road in Sandy Springs.  The company also had locations in Buford, Acworth (3), Marietta, and Douglasville (2).  

There are currently two Gold's Gym locations in Georgia: 1250 Auburn Road in Dacula and 4408 Evans to Locks Road in Evans near Augusta.  

The new Buckhead gym is believed to be owned by franchisee Koran Winters.  The 24,800-square-foot gym in Dacula reopened after Winters, who purchased it in 2023, completed a renovation and repositioning.  At the time of the reopening, Winters indicated that he planned to grow the brand’s footprint in the Atlanta area, with one new Gold’s Gym opening per year over the next seven to eight years.

ToNeTo Atlanta exclusively reported November 14 that a new location of La Parrilla Mexican is also coming to Buckhead Station where it will replace On The Border, which closed this past March. 

Are you pleased to see Gold's Gym is opening in Buckhead?  If you currently belong to a gym, which one?  What type of business do you feel is missing from Buckhead?

Please share your thoughts below.