LINCOLN PARK — The Nike Training Club closed at the end of December, less than a year after opening on Armitage Avenue.
The two-story business, which was both a retail store and a workout studio dedicated to women's fitness, was the first of its kind in the country when it opened in late January 2013.
The Nike Training Club is opening a new studio on Michigan Avenue next to the Nike flagship store, 669 N. Michigan Ave., which will continue to host the free fitness classes sometime in late January.
"When we launched NTC this was the first actual physical location for Nike Training Club here in Lincoln Park and Chicago," said Lisa Beachy, a Nike spokeswoman. "Basically it was a pilot."
Beachy said the company used the Lincoln Park shop to test the waters of the training club, which originally started as a smartphone app.
"Chicago is very neighborhood-centric and we wanted to make sure we could expand NTC beyond the neighborhood of Lincoln Park," Beachy said.
All of the women's apparel that was available on the first floor of the Lincoln Park shop will be available at the downtown flagship location, Nike Chicago.
The Lincoln Park location had been a gathering place for runners and women interested in fitness and had hosted daily classes such as yoga and pilates on the second floor.
The club also hosted runs from the shop, including those lead by star athletes such as Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson.
The new downtown studio will host fitness events and "innovative Nike experiences," and will serve as the home base for larger events.
"We were testing the waters to see how we could grow this community and group of women," Beachy said.
