Easily recognizable by its triangular shaped lot and recently updated exterior landscaping, MPower Gym – located at 9301 NE 6th Ave. in Miami Shores – has been welcoming fitness enthusiasts for 25 years.
That quarter-century in business recently earned the business a proclamation honoring them for being the longest-running small business in the village.
(Maureen Straub for MPower Gym)
MPower Gym Owners Patrick Cannoe (L) and Chris Russo
Co-owner Chris Russo, a native New Yorker, opened the original MPower at 9037 Biscayne Blvd. After 12 years at that location and rising rents, he saw the opportunity to purchase the building where the gym currently lives.
His motivation for opening the business in the first place was simple.
“I was always into fitness and living in North Bay Village,” Russo recalled. “But I was driving to South Beach every day to go to the gym and frankly, I got tired of [it]. I was looking around Miami Shores and felt it was the right area for the gym I envisioned opening.”
He found the space at 9037 Biscayne in 1995 and opened in May of the following year, and what was at first a small space kept growing as he acquired storefronts in the plaza that sits across from Publix at a major intersection.
“When our lease ended there I began searching for a different location in Miami Shores, especially because 70% of our members [lived there] and in El Portal,” he said, though some of his gymgoers also came from Belle Meade and North Bay Village.
(/Maureen Straub for MPower Gym)
Patrons at MPower Gym give new treadmills a run for their money.
Russo bought the current space, nestled between the railroad tracks and NE 6th Ave., in 2008, and within five months – after zoning and permitting, buildout and moving equipment – the space was ready in 2009.
“I was very lucky to have the opportunity to purchase the building,” he said. “And even though we had to close for a few months, our members and clients were happy when we opened on March 1.”
He says MPower is still one of the most affordable gyms in towns, as well as one of the few mom and pop options in the neighborhood.
“We have survived the competition from the larger big box gyms because we’re a neighborhood gym, never crowded,” Russo said. “The demographic that comes is great. They’re very loyal and it’s more like a family here.”
Always wanting to provide the best for his clients, he brought in partner Patrick Cannoe in late 2021 to run his marketing.
“Patrick has put a lot of time, effort and funding into the marketing efforts here. He’s helped me sell corporate memberships. He’s added an MPower magic that includes great new classes,” said Russo.
Cannoe, also originally from New York, came up with the concept of expanding the classes, renaming them and giving them his own flair. His fitness class schedule includes something for everyone and for every targeted zone.
They include:
- Body
- Sculpt
- Power Pilates
- Stretch
- Booty & Abs
- Circuit Training
- Hardcore Abs
- Zumba
- Fit Boxing
- Yoga
As a former football, soccer and hockey player, and high school hockey coach, Cannoe puts his energy and enthusiasm into keeping MPower current and at its best for clients.
“We have all new treadmills and are always installing the latest fitness equipment including ellipticals and
(/Maureen Straub for MPower Gym)
Exercise machines at MPower Gym.
StairMasters,” he said. “We also have an area for our Fit Boxing classes and a large room for the remainder of our classes.”
Closing down for a couple of months in 2020 due to the pandemic was tough, but Russo says they toughed it out through much adversity. It also allowed Cannoe to come up with new options.
“Of course we were concerned but even so ... the COVID slowdown helped Patrick really turn things around and come up with a broader set of offerings," he said. “It’s very personal with our clients knowing their neighbors will be here working out with them.”
In the 25 years he’s been in business, Russo says, “I’ve gone through cycles with many people who move out and then move back into town and this is always one of the first places they come to.”
MPower’s longevity, which was celebrated with a 25th anniversary bash at the gym last month, means “I’ve seen kids that came here and then they go off to college,” said Russo. “And of course, I also know the parents.”
Find MPower’s full schedule of classes and deals at MPowerProject.com.