CKO Kickboxing franchise to open on ground floor of NW Monroe building

CKO Kickboxing will open at the start of next year on the ground floor of 616 Development’s Lofts on Monroe at 820 Monroe Ave. NW. 

The 3,500-square-foot franchise location is owned and operated by Studio Reno, LLC, with president and CEO Shelby Reno bringing 20 years of prior knowledge and experience along with her to the new space. 

“There’s something about the North Monroe district that I like,” Reno says. “If I had to live downtown it would be that neighborhood. Maybe because it’s industrial and up-and coming but the energy itself just gets me there.”

She says courses at CKO Kickboxing are uniquely focused on core training, with heavy bags and drag on the floor to focus on the “eight strike points” on a person’s body. 

“I probably did about 2,500 strikes on my legs…left at the end of the six days without a single bruise or broken blood vessel,” Reno says. “A strike happens from your core, you’re turning and opening up your hit and firing from the core.” 

Along with the gym floor, CKO Kickboxing will have its own retail space, where Reno will sell unique workout items and comfortable clothing that’s hard to find elsewhere. 

“I’m really trying to think outside the box with what I can offer and what I always feel like I’m not getting in town are those ripped up, messy shredded…kind of stringy shirts that are cool to wear, loose or form fitting, really comfortable to work out in but you can also wear them with a pair of shorts,” Reno says. 

For more information on the January 2016 opening, visit www.ckogr.com. 

Written by Anya Zentmeyer, Development News Editor
Images courtesy of CKO Kickboxing