For nearly 10 years, the former D.A.M. car repair garage behind Bestway has been home to Mount Vernon CrossFit, a tight-knit fitness community focused on self-improvement. On Saturday, July 30, the community will gather for one final workout and social gathering before selling off its inventory of fitness equipment to the general public starting at 11 a.m.
Dan Lagana, the Franconia District Planning Commissioner, has been a member of Mount Vernon CrossFit since 2013. He said the current owner – who began managing the workout facility in 2018 – decided to close the Mount Vernon location but will continue to work with the CrossFit community in Washington, D.C.
Earlier this year, Ploutis Contracting, a painting, property maintenance and property renovations company headquartered at 8365 Richmond Highway, purchased the garage from John Johnston, the former owner of Holly, Woods and Vines, for nearly $1.9 million, real estate records show. Johnston and his wife had helped open Mount Vernon CrossFit in 2013 but have since moved out of state. How Ploutis plans to use the garage is uncertain, as the owners were unavailable for comment. The facility, located at 8459 Richmond Highway, features four drive-in bays, office space and showers, and sits on 40,000 square feet of land.
While the Mount Vernon CrossFit facility may be shuttering, members of its fitness community are making a concerted effort to relocate to a different space along the Route 1 corridor, possibly in the Woodlawn area, said Lagana.
“It’s a pretty great little community,” he said. “There aren’t too many places where random groups of people get together — it’s a unique thing we have.”
