Business is booming for The Riot Fitness in Yelm less than three months after it opened in March. Fitness and dance classes are filling up daily, and the salon is as busy as ever for owner Kayla Walker.
The Riot celebrated its success with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, May 30, as part of its entry into the Yelm Chamber of Commerce. Walker and her six staff members were joined by fellow members of the chamber as she cut the ribbon.
“It means a lot to not only host a party but also to become a part of the chamber. I like being a part of that because it brings all of the businesses together and we all support each other,” Walker said. “A lot of them showed up here. It meant a lot to me that they all came and were super supportive and wanted to know more about the business and that they’re willing to share it with everybody else. I was blown away. I was shocked that so many people came to support us.”
Walker said the notoriety that The Riot has gained over the past three months has surprised her, especially when she and her staffers go out into the community donning their company sweatshirts. She now focuses more on the beauty services side because she has a complete staff of highly trained instructors to teach fitness and dance classes.
“For the most part, our classes are pretty full. The facial care part has been getting a lot busier, too. That’s been super fun because I get to go back to doing what I love doing, which is brows,” Walker said. “I’m hoping that it gets bigger. I feel like we’re just now starting, so to start off like this, it’s crazy. I’m really excited to see what happens next.”
Since opening in the spring, The Riot has added classes in yoga, shine fitness, burlesque, Zumba, and line dancing. With the partnership of the Yelm Chamber of Commerce, Walker also wants to get involved with and host community fundraising events. She first organized one in April to support a Lacey woman battling cancer and raised more than $15,000 with the help of local businesses.
“The first one I did opened up that door because I really like being a part of the community. I am trying to brainstorm how I am going to do that,” she said.
The next event for The Riot will be a summer kickoff glam party, which will take place at 6 p.m., Thursday, June 20, and will offer spray tans, make-up lessons, brow waxing and tinting, jelly mask facials, nails, Botox and more.
Walker said the party, as well as her plethora of everyday services, are all part of her plan to give Yelm something that it needed before The Riot was founded.
“It will be a full glam, one-stop party, and I think it will be fun to bring something a little bit different into The Riot for that,” she said. “This is where I’m supposed to be. I love coming into these classes and joining in on the fun during my breaks. You can hear all the laughter when I’m in the esthetics room working, and that’s probably one of my favorite parts. The girls aren’t just dancing, they’re all friends now. It’s really been great to watch everybody grow closer together and have so much fun here.”
To learn more about The Riot, visit https://theriotfitnesswa.co/.
