Intown Stars opens a new $4 million multisport facility in Decatur

Gymnasts from the women’s team warm up for floor exercises during practice at Intown Stars. (Photos by Barbara Naso)

Intown Stars will welcome the communities of Atlanta and Decatur this month to its new multi-sport facility at 421 DeKalb Industrial Way following a $4 million renovation of a former storage and manufacturing facility.

“This exciting new expansion is being carried out in two phases,” said Anna Santiago, owner and CEO of Intown Stars. “Half of the 75,000 square foot building will be open for gymnastics, parkour, camps, parties, community events and our newest program, Intown Stars Dance. I really want this place to be about sport and about bringing the community together.”

The ground floor features a fully-equipped 25,000-square-foot space with natural light, fresh paint, and massive ceiling fans that will host gymnastics and parkour; the practice of moving obstacles from one point to another by running, jumping, climbing, etc.

“Parkour is one of the fastest growing sports,” Santiago said. “We care about who is in our community – and clearly the kids in our community want something fun and different because our parkour program has hundreds of kids on the waiting list. So we quadrupled the size of our room to accommodate them. Parkour also brought in more boys doing parkour and gymnastics.”

Also on the ground floor is the Intown Stars Dance studio with professional dance floors and a parent observation area. Flowing from this are more spaces for a future after-school program, an arts program and a sizable outdoor playground – where Santiago envisions a sandbox, swing set and jungle gym.

At the top of the second floor, a large parent’s observation lounge overlooks the gymnastics/parkour area. Down the hall is Santiago’s office.

“I wanted to be close to the parents — to talk to them and stay connected,” Santiago said.

There are also four different studios on the second floor that can be rented for classes, events, and parties and are named after constellations: Big Dipper, Little Dipper (more of a meeting room), Orion (with kitchenette), and Polaris (with lots of windows and natural light).

Intown Stars owner Anna Santiago and her sons with Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez.

Santiago wants the studios to serve as an incubator and recalls the challenges she faced 10 years ago when she was newly divorced and needed a place to teach gymnastics classes.

“I want to offer these spaces to other entrepreneurs to start or scale a business,” Santiago said.

Over a decade, Santiago has grown Intown Stars from a tiny program in a Sunday school room at a neighborhood church to one of the largest gym centers in the Southeast, with 80 staff and more than 1,700 children attending each week.

An achievement Santiago generously shares with her core leadership team.

“Anna engages her employees in a shared mission—to build leadership—among them and the students,” said Damon Vance, owner of Relevance Building Solutions, who oversaw construction of the new multisport facility and is Santiago’s business partner.

For example Chief Operations Officer Brittany Baker, who started as a gymnastics coach in 2017 and is Santiago’s “right hand” in charge of day-to-day operations.

“The best moments are when the kids are begging their parents not to go,” Baker said. “As long as this continues, Intown Stars will continue to grow as a leader in youth sports for Atlanta.”

This growth includes being home to one of the largest gymnastics teams in the Southeast.

A rendering of Intown Stars’ new facility in Decatur.

“Georgia has never seen a world-class gym with so much variety and diversity for competitive gymnastics, let alone sports across the board,” said Ashley McCracken, Intown Stars Gymnastic Teams Director.

“One of the reasons Intown Stars has been able to thrive is Anna’s ability to be flexible and adaptable when it comes to how the company delivers services to the community based on their needs,” said Vance. “This new, larger space is critical to that.”

The second phase on the north side of the building, expected to open in 2023, will include 10 batting cages, a large room with professional flooring for a roller rink and sports like basketball and volleyball, and a strength and conditioning center.

“For an entrepreneur, it’s like being in a candy store when you have so much space to create and being told you can have whatever you want,” Santiago said.

Learn more at intownstarsatl.com.