DEUCE Forever: We’re Expanding!

Thirteen years ago, we used to take a dozen yoga mats to the coin laundromat for a wash. The twigs and dirt wouldn’t ever completely come out, but the smell would. In 2011, that was “gym maintenance” for us because morning and afternoon classes were held on the bluffs, first on El Medio in Pacific Palisades and then Ocean Avenue (and Margarita) in Santa Monica. 

Two long years of unloading kettlebells and bumper plates out of the back of pickup trucks later, Danny and Lindsey and Emily and I finally took the Fake Gym to a real space at 110 Lincoln. Our thirty (or so) students came along and those who had followed the park program from the outside celebrated in large fashion at our grand opening. 

DEUCE in 2024 stands on the shoulders of the giants that built this space when there was no money, security, or good reason to do so.

The combination of the magical vibes at DEUCE, a unique approach to developing coaches, and an unshakable vision led to strong growth. Between then and now, DEUCE has somehow been a stable home for folks who seem to resonate with the pirate flag and the question, “why join the navy when you can be a pirate?”

We’ve hosted weddings, experienced death, so many DEUCE babies, and thousands of new faces. Those faces include Chess Grandmasters, sports stars, stellar moms, Grammy winners, CrossFit Games champions, humble fathers, very important felons, and some of the most gracious people the neighborhood has ever seen. 

Later in our story, we accomplished big goals getting our employees full PPO coverage, retirement, and in-house psychotherapy. We stepped in the ring against a global pandemic and won by knockout. 

Enter: a life or death moment.

I took a meeting on a Tuesday in February of 2023 from a real estate agent. 110 Lincoln (and our neighboring building) were for sale and I had two weeks before our first right of refusal would expire. Two weeks came and went in a flash and I still didn’t have millions of dollars to secure our future. 

“We have a cash buyer,” they said. “Are you ready?”

We weren’t. But, every day we plugged away at the work that needed to be done. It would take nearly 13-months, but we are now the proud owners of 110 and 104 Lincoln Blvd, thus preventing the 45-unit, 6-story apartment building that would have forced DEUCE out. 

We’re expanding to a campus format at 110 & 104 Lincoln Blvd! 

There are too many remarkable people to thank to do it justice here, but I promise to tell the story top to bottom one day. For now, the vision looks bright. We will become a campus for development under our Hold the Standard banner. DEUCE will continue to strive to embody the role of a case study for an organization that includes adult development in equal importance as the bottom line. 

The campus will feature key retail partners and space to breathe more positivity into the community. We’re excited to share the progress along the way – stay tuned!