Invest Newark supports Harlem Cycle expansion into Halsey Street Corridor
- MAREJ
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Mission-driven boutique fitness studio opens in Newark’s Arts & Education District
NEWARK, NJ - Harlem Cycle, an indoor cycling studio, started as a simple idea: wanting fitness to feel like home.
“I wanted a space where I could feel like I belong,” said Tammeca Rochester, the owner of Harlem Cycle. “What if people just walked into a room exactly where they felt seen, supported and celebrated?"
That message, along with a huge chalk drawing of Black and Brown folks dressed in athletic wear, greets exercisers walking into the modest Harlem Cycle studio on Halsey Street in Newark, with the decal “Every Body Belongs Here” displayed behind the bikes.
Rochester, joined by Invest Newark and City Council officials, cut the ribbon of the new spin cycle studio at 145 Halsey St. on Thursday, Jan. 22.
The space and its mission draws a significant contrast from the typically exclusive and cliquish environments at boutique spin and Pilates studios that cater primarily to upper-middle-class White women. It’s community over competition at Harlem Cycle, which is punctuated by the lack of mirrors in the studio.
“Not only to open up the new business and to bring more energy and more life to the neighborhood, but to have a Black woman here doing it… " Representation is serious,” said Central Ward City Councilwoman Amina Bey.
This is the third location of Harlem Cycle – including two studios in Harlem – an important milestone in the company’s continued expansion. Rochester launched the brand in 2016 with a mission to create a welcoming, culture-forward approach to wellness.
The Newark studio will offer high-energy indoor cycling classes that continue Harlem Cycle’s mission of creating accessible wellness spaces where people feel seen, strong and supported.
“This space represents more than the bikes, the music, the sweat,” Rochester said. “It represents the belief that wellness belongs everywhere and to everyone.”
Invest Newark provided data and background on Newark to help Rochester launch Harlem Cycle’s third location, as well as site tours in the Arts & Education District, and guidance on incentives and permitting.
“She definitely is laser-focused on her business and her mission to promote wellness and create opportunities for fitness and bonding in communities like Harlem and Newark that are underserved by other wellness options,” said Invest Newark CEO Marcus Randolph.
There are only two specialty fitness spaces in Newark, including Arrival Fitness on Halsey Street and Brick City Strength on Maiden Lane. Alpha Fit Club, a boutique fitness studio offering circuit-style group training, also recently signed a long-term lease at 55 Union in Newark’s Ironbound.
“This brings a diversity of activity to our downtown area,” said Mayor Ras J. Baraka. “We have a lot of people moving into this community, and our downtown has become a neighborhood. People get an opportunity to come and cycle here, stay in shape, physical and mental and spiritual shape all at the same time.”
The Halsey Street corridor is known as the epicenter of Newark’s downtown revitalization, according to Newark Alliance. Investors and city stakeholders have been trying to develop Halsey Street as a destination for arts, fashion, design, entertainment, culture, food and drink, while serving as an engine for wealth creation and ownership.
“Newark has its own heartbeat, its own rhythm, its own pride,” Rochester said. “From day one, we didn't want to bring something to Newark, we wanted to build with Newark. That's why our team is local, our music reflects the culture, and our classes are about showing up and not being perfect.”
Harlem Cycle on Halsey Street creates seven instructor jobs and four front desk jobs, according to Randolph.
“This is something that's special to me because it's a full-circle type of situation,” said City Council President C. Lawrence Crump. “You come here, you hire here, you get people here working, they invest in the community. It's a cycle that continues to grow and grow and makes this area better.”
