SPARTANBURG — Since 1987, Nautilus Fitness Center has been a fixture in downtown Spartanburg.
It was not only a place to exercise, but also a place for members to socialize. When it moved from Union Street to South Church Street, just a few blocks from the old Spartanburg City Hall, it was a less lively part of downtown. The Spartanburg County Library, now located across from the fitness center, opened another decade later.
Nautilus owner John Lankford opened the center on Fernwood-Glendale Road in 1977 before relocating to Union Street where he operated for eight years. Before moving his business from Union Street to South Church Street, he considered moving to the city's then-burgeoning west side. He has no regrets about securing the current location at 160 S. Church St. Membership has grown, with 600 to 700 people working out in the 24-hour gym.
Currently, plans are in place for a new city-county office building, parking garage and mixed-use development behind Nautilus at the former site of Spartanburg City Hall, leaving the future of Nautilus and Blue Moon Specialty Foods, which are on the same block, uncertain. Demolition of the old City Hall is nearly complete, and conceptual design plans are being developed for the five-acre site bounded by Broad, Church, Kennedy and Spring streets.
As part of this process, Nautilus and Blue Moon were notified that they would have to relocate from their South Church Street storefronts shortly after April 2022 because their properties were within the confines of a new mixed-use development planned by the city and county. Since then, the two companies have only attended a few meetings to work out the details. They were told they had the option to relocate to private spaces within the new mixed-use development, but no agreement has been reached.
Blue Moon declined to comment on the matter.
John Lankford, owner of Nautilus Fitness Center, founded the business in 1977 on Fernwood-Glendale Road in Spartanburg.
Lankford has hired an attorney in early 2024 and doesn't plan on giving up the property easily. In the 1940s, the building was a Ford dealership. It sat vacant for several years before Nautilus took over the location.
“It's almost like they're trying to undermine us, but this guy's not going to undermine us,” Lankford told The Post and Courier. “I'm not giving up now. I've been in business for 47 years, I've paid property taxes, and now they're telling me to forget about you. Growth is good, I understand growth, but it seems like they're just casting us aside.”
Lankford said his last meeting with the city was in October 2022, and the county met with his attorney in April. He doesn't expect to reach an agreement to move to the new complex.
He runs the business with his wife Marilyn and son Andrew, and while other gyms in the city have come and gone, Nautilus has managed to survive thanks to its location and the community it has built within: they hold Bible studies every Wednesday morning and participate in local fundraisers.
Lankford said he has not received any offers from the city or county to purchase the property. The property was appraised in August 2022. In January he was told he had three months to move out, and in April he was given a deadline to move out by July. Lankford has no plans to move anywhere.
Spartanburg Mayor Chris Story said on June 20 that he was hopeful a solution could be found.
“We are hopeful that a solution can be found that serves their business interests,” Storey said. “There have been numerous meetings and significant communication, but there is always uncertainty with a project of this magnitude. However, we believe we have been as transparent as possible about the goals of the project, and we will continue to engage directly with them. Our communication and dialogue is not over yet.”
Story said final city and county plans for the new city hall and mixed-use development have not yet been approved and no construction start date has been set.
at Nautilus Fitness Center on South Church Street in downtown Spartanburg.
The Nautilus' distinctive blue building has become a household name, and there's no other place in the city that can match what the current building has to offer.
“We can't replicate our business anywhere else in the city,” Marilyn Lankford said. “We want to stay here, and it would be too much of a risk to move. Our location is essential to our survival as a small business.”
The Lankfords questioned plans to incorporate mixed-use development on the site and said the uncertainty over Nautilus' future makes it difficult to attract new members or renew their memberships.
“For years, real estate agents have asked me if I would sell the house,” John Lankford said, “and I don't want to because it's a great location. It's been a great location since I first got here.”
The site was selected for the new city council building in April 2022. Conceptual designs are expected to be presented to the Spartanburg City Council and Spartanburg County Council this summer. A new parking garage with space for up to 600 cars is also part of the master plan. Construction of the new building will be funded through a 1% sales tax increase approved by county voters in 2017 to replace aging infrastructure.
Larry Watson of Spartanburg at Nautilus Fitness Center on June 20. He's been a member of the gym for 42 years.
Nautilus customers overwhelmingly support the gym and are hopeful an agreement can be reached to allow it to stay. Spartanburg resident Larry Watson has been a customer of the gym for the last 42 years. He's outraged the fitness center is being asked to relocate.
“It's like watching small businesses get trampled by corporations and the rich,” Watson said.
Norma Hughes of Boiling Springs has been a member for the past 10 years, and Nautilus is near her workplace and only 10 minutes from her home.
“I love coming here,” Hughes said. “A lot of gyms in town have seen members come and go over the years. Nautilus has been stable for all of us.”
