‘iLoveKickboxing’ Lights up Essex Street Gym

G&S Sporting Goods may have rebooted, but its former headquarters is in new hands. Or should we say gloves?

Like its predecessor, the newcomer at 43 Essex Street is of the pugilistic persuasion. A gym called iLoveKickboxing.

The company, which operates 100 training sites in all 50 states, last fall signed a 15-year lease for 4,000 square-feet of commercial space. We first reported on its arrival back in October, and are only now seeing progress. Promotional announcements in the windows advertise deals and neons are burning bright.

There is also sidewalk light projection at night, which beams the brand’s logo onto the concrete slab below.

Long Islander Michael Parrella founded iLoveKickboxing in 2009. He began franchising out the business three years later.

November 2014

Before iLoveKickboxing came into the picture, the retail space had been on the market for nearly three years. All the while, drama unfolded above.

Landlord Dean Galasso was indicted in April 2017 on six felony charges in a scheme to fraudulently obtain a multi-million dollar mortgage to buy 43 Essex Street. The Zerling family behind G&S owned the building for decades until selling to Galasso in 2014 for $6.9 million. During the requisite conversion, residents were allegedly faced with a campaign of harassment. A civil lawsuit was later filed, and Galasso settled eight months later.