Sydney Cromwell
Battle Republic
Leah Drury and Lindsey Miller are opening Battle Republic in the former White Flowers storefront on 18th Street South in December.
Leah Drury describes the new boxing gym she and Lindsey Miller have created, Battle Republic, as “night club meets Fight Club.”
With a dark room, neon lights and an ever-changing playlist, the goal is to make a 45-minute boxing workout feel like a good time.
“When 45 minutes flies by and you’ve burned a bunch of calories and had fun doing this, it’s like, ‘OK, I can get down with that,’” Drury said.
Drury and Lindsey Miller are opening Battle Republic together at 2800 18th St. S., the former White Flowers location, sometime in December, with plans to hold an official grand opening around New Year’s. The “boutique boxing” concept is one the pair has been working on, with partial equity partners and consultants Kevin McLendon and Luan Nguyen, since February.
“We wanted to bring a concept down that we enjoyed, that was a little different than what’s around,” Drury said.
Battle Republic’s name is inspired by the idea of people having a community to help them fight their everyday battles, Drury said.
“It’s like it’s just you and your bag. It’s a cool atmosphere because it’s a place where you can come and get all your frustrations, your stress, anxiety, whatever and you just leave it all there,” Drury said.
The gym is also the culmination of a lifetime of friendship between Miller and Drury. They grew up together in Greensboro and played softball, basketball and volleyball together through school.
“As long I can remember, I remember her and her family,” Miller said.
Drury went on to play college basketball at University of Alabama and then work as an assistant coach for her alma mater and the Seattle Storm WNBA team, while Miller got her degree at UAB and worked with Zoe’s Kitchen on a corporate level for several years.
Battle Republic is not their first partnership. When Drury returned to her hometown two years ago, she decided to open a personal training facility. Later on, she and Miller, along with two other women, opened a coffee shop next door.
“That kind of reconnected us,” Drury said.
They knew they wanted to open in Homewood because of the thriving environment of local businesses. When the White Flowers store closed and its storefront became available, they decided immediately that they wanted it. Miller said the spot has good foot and vehicle traffic to give their new gym more visibility.
Battle Republic will offer 25-minute and 45-minute classes beginning at 5:15 a.m. and the last class at 6:30 p.m. during the week, grouped by morning, lunchtime and evening. It will also schedule Saturday morning and Sunday evening classes, with a total of 51 classes a week offered by four instructors, Drury said.
The group boxing classes will include high-energy music and decor to bring a “killer vibe,” Drury said, and they include kettlebell, bodyweight and high-intensity interval workouts. Battle Republic uses aqua punching bags, which absorb more shock and are easier on the joints, Drury said.
“You walk out feeling empowered and more confident and energized,” she said.
Individual classes are $15 for 25 minutes and $25 for 45 minutes. Class packs can be bought for five, 10 or 20 classes at a discounted rate, or $175 per month for an unlimited class pass. Clients can rent boxing gloves or an armband that tracks their heart rate, calories and other information during the class.
“Being able to have customized metrics, that’s a technology piece we really wanted to bring in,” Miller said.
Miller said they would like to offer “featherweight” classes for kids and do special programs like ladies’ nights or themed playlists to change up the workouts and keep it “anything but boring.” There will also be a Sunday afternoon “Battle Basics” class to teach people the technique of boxing.
More information about Battle Republic is available at battlerepublic.com.
