Downtown gym changes ownership

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A downtown gym has changed hands.

Rage Fitness and Royal Barbell recently announced the transition on Instagram. Royal Barbell, 506 S. Jefferson Ave., is slated to become Rage Fitness' fourth location through the deal, the terms of which were not disclosed in the announcement.

Rage Fitness co-owners Sylas Shores and Brandon Davis were joined by Royal Barbell owner Paden Stringer in divulging the news.

"I can't express my gratitude enough for all of our members, all the support over the years. It means a lot to me," Stringer said.

Shores said Royal Barbell would be rebranded to RF Iron, with new equipment to be added over the next 45 to 60 days. RF Iron would have an old-school vibe with new steel-plate equipment, he added.

"We think this addition of Royal adds a ton of value to what we're already doing," Shores said.

Stringer bought out his business partners, Matt Reynolds and William McNeely, in late 2015 after launching the concept in 2008, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. The business previously operated as Strong Gym until the ownership changeover.

Rage Fitness, founded in 2016, has locations at 1212 N. Bryan Drive in Nixa, 2321 S. Campbell Ave. and 2404 W. Kingsley St. The business model offers a wide variety of exercise equipment and free weights in a 24/7 environment for members with upgrade options, including personal trainers, the owners previously told SBJ.