Brooklyn Uprising
Brooklyn, New York
Specs: Brooklyn Uprising is opening this spring in the DUMBO neighborhood of New York City, owned by Creative Director Emily Kollars and Business Director Tyler Tringas. Described by the owners as a “neoclassical” bouldering facility, the gym will blend old-school training with modern design, and contemporary features inside the space are being set up with outdoor climbing movement in mind. The owners are intentionally positioning the gym as a specialized, not-one-size-fits-all facility, in part because they’ve seen a demand for more specialization as the industry matures. Instead of an all-in-one model, they hope to provide “a boutique experience,” said Kollars, while “maintaining a connection to the outdoors,” per the gym’s homepage.
The idea for Brooklyn Uprising began about two years ago, when the owners wanted to give back to their climbing community and perceived a gap in the market of “locally owned and operated” gyms, Kollars stated. About 18 months ago, the duo began looking for a space and found what Kollars said was “not at all an obvious selection” for a climbing gym. “It’s this beautiful old building that originally was a torpedo manufacturing space and then eventually evolved into paper manufacturing, and then most recently it was an architecture firm,” she said. “So, it’s sort of unusual in its layout.” As a result, the team had to closely analyze the interior to maximize the gym’s climbing and training space. Kollars, for example—who comes from a design background—surveyed the space and created a 3D model to help with “looking at basically every possible iteration of wall layout,” she recalled.
Brooklyn Uprising was built in “a really special space” for Kollars and Tringas, Kollars said, in a neighborhood where they have both lived for several years. On the Brooklyn coastline, with a “view of the Manhattan skyline,” the gym is in a large, historic building with an “atrium skylight in the main area,” Tringas detailed. The building itself is “city-block-sized,” with classic artists’ lofts located above the main gym area, “filled with creative folks and studios,” Tringas told CBJ. The team is excited to provide building tenants and DUMBO residents new “opportunities to come in and be a part of a climbing community in New York City,” Kollars added.
Brooklyn Uprising will have amenities, programs and routesetting targeted toward training for individuals 16 and older. The 6,200-square-foot facility will have 3,500 square feet of climbing on walls reaching 15 feet, including a Tension Board 2. “We like to think of every gym as being its own crag,” Kollars said, where a distinct voice is developed through routesetting. The routesetting at Brooklyn Uprising will be focused more on outdoor movement and less on competition-style climbing, with the aim of helping climbers develop skills used to send their projects outside. Alongside the bouldering, climbers can access different fitness amenities at the gym, like squat racks and free weights, in addition to hangboards, a sauna, and co-working and lounge space. Brooklyn Uprising will also offer mental and physical coaching and training.
The owners plan to host community-focused events at Brooklyn Uprising as well, such as live music, dance parties and workshops, while incorporating member feedback into decisions for new offerings. “We want people to be able to have their voice heard and recognized and responded to so that this space is truly our space,” Kollars said. “Not just [Tringas] and me dictating what it will be and how it will be, but we want it to be something for our community.”
Walls: Walltopia
Flooring: Climbmat
CRM Software: Owner/Contractor
Website: www.bkup.nyc
Instagram: @BrooklynUprising
In Their Words: “Brooklyn is my home. I’ve been in New York for about 17 years, and Brooklyn is really very special to me. And to give a gift, essentially, to our climbing community here in New York, I think doing it in a space that really resonates for me personally felt like an important decision.” – Emily Kollars, Brooklyn Uprising Co-Founder and Creative Director
