12/08/2025
I’m sorry to announce the permanent closure of Revamp Fitness.
After 3 years of working as a full-time Police Officer, and then buying a house in Herkimer, Revamp was created in 2017 due to the lack of reputable and modern fitness options in Herkimer County at the time.
Armed with 7 years’ experience as a fitness professional in Bergen County, New Jersey, I decided to bring a piece of the suburbs to the Valley and then implement professional services – like commercial personal training and a smoothie bar for example – to the area for a fraction of the costs.
Without any financial help or handouts from family, I put ideas to paper, worked my ass off (while still working a full-time job), created a business plan and made it happen all on my own. From start to finish.
After 5 years of conducting business in a dilapidated strip mall – with a leaking roof, garbage littered parking lot, old/rusted/outdated HVAC units (that stop working in the peak of winter), and with homeless people dumpster diving daily – I took over the management and maintenance of “The Herkimer Commons Mall” in 2023. I began by renovating a main hallway whose walls were plastered with spackle not even attempted to be sanded, chipped tile flooring that created several trip hazards, and overhead lighting units that either didn’t work or needed bulb replacements. I pulled weeds from the cracks of the front sidewalk and around the foundation of the building. I swept dog s**t off the sidewalk weekly. I replaced “No Parking” signs in the lot that were faded out and unreadable. I chased criminals that I caught stealing from unsuspecting customers unattended vehicles. I managed and arranged maintenance – including snowplowing – for all 4 other businesses within the mall. I received quotes, second opinions and managed larger projects.
Three months ago, in September 2025 – after exactly 8 years of paying rent and conducting business within the mall – the owner decided overnight to raise my rent by 53%.
Aside from my attorney, I also reached out to several local real estate professionals and quickly found that, even with me managing the property for the past 3 years, I’d been overpaying rent by 36% over the fair market value. So now, the owners new demand places rent at 110% over market value.
Justifying his new demand, the owner broke down the cost per square foot and provided me an end number to pay rent each month but doesn’t know how much space Revamp Fitness consumes within his property. He’s also never been able to answer my question as to where he’s getting his figures from.
Like previously mentioned, Revamp Fitness has been in business for 8 years. The thought of relocating an entire fitness center someplace else is cringy and the cost astronomical. With no time to sell; I either had to begin paying the higher rent or be evicted. Rather than bust my ass off knowing I’m getting ripped off at the tune of 110% per month, I’ve decided to close the doors and let the owner’s shoddy building rot where it stands. He’s $35k behind in property taxes and has 2 pending lawsuits against his property. Olga, LLC is greedy and unwilling to negotiate even one penny with a small business that has rented and donated free personal labor to his property for over 8 years.
Our last day of business will commence on December 14th, 2025 – exactly 1 week from today. Because I’m making the decision to close, I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure anyone with remaining membership time gets the compensation they deserve - I have a list and will be reaching out within the next several weeks but am asking for patience and time as I navigate this process.
I’m extremely grateful to all the friends and relationships I’ve made during my time at Revamp Fitness and even more grateful to the people that have supported me over several years. I’m happy to have brought the much-needed changes to the fitness industry within the valley and for making people, “Stronger than Yesterday”.
All my best,
-Jason Crippen
Owner Revamp Fitness
