By Kelly Youngblood
The Little Gym of Champaign is officially for sale.
Lindsay Yeakel, who has been the owner for the last two years, announced her decision to seek a buyer for the local franchise last week.
Yeakel said it was a “bittersweet decision” but felt it was time to sell the business so she could spend more time at home with her children.
“It’s been such a tough decision. Since I bought the gym, I got engaged, got married and had a baby. As you can imagine, our life has gotten busier than I could have ever imagined and because of that, I felt like it was the right time to sell the business,” she said.
“I want to spend more time at home with my 15 month old and 8 year old and we plan on having more children. I am looking forward to focusing more on my family. It really was a great fit for a while and it has been an amazing experience,” Yeakel added.
The Little Gym of Champaign, located on Philo Road in Urbana, is part of a national franchise that offers a variety of classes to youth including dance, gymnastics, karate, parent/child interaction and sports skills. Most recently, Kindermusik classes were added at the Champaign location.
Yeakel started attending The Little Gym eight years ago when her son was an infant. She ended up becoming a full-time Program Director for three years before she eventually decided to buy the business.
Yeakel said the best part of owning The Little Gym was getting to know the families. Seeing them each week is what she’ll miss the most.
“Owning The Little Gym of Champaign has allowed me to be a part of a great community and meet a lot of new families and friends. I will forever be thankful for that,” she said.
Yeakel is hoping The Little Gym of Champaign will remain open under new ownership and says she currently has several people interested in the business.
Typical start-up costs to build, buy equipment and licenses for The Little Gym franchise costs about $200,000-$300,000; however, Yeakel said the purchase price for The Little of Gym of Champaign is significantly less than that.
“I will make sure that The Little Gym of Champaign will be left in good hands. The gym is doing great and even recently added a new Kindermuisk at The Little Gym program. I plan on continuing to bring my children to Kindermusik and The Little Gym classes for years to come!” she said.
For more information about purchasing The Little Gym of Champaign, contact Lindsay Yeakel at tlgchampaignil@thelittlegym.com.