Hub City Gym, Ciclops Cyderi & Brewery, and BoxCar Apartments are moving into the Rail Yard Section

The Mary Black Rail Trail is about to undergo a makeover.

Three new businesses — Hub City Gym, Ciclops Cyderi & Brewery, and BoxCar Apartments — are making their home in the Rail Yard section of the trail in downtown Spartanburg, which includes the Panthers Play 60, Trolley Plaza, the Balmer Foundation Watershed Amphitheater, and the nearby Subaru Spartanburg Bike Park.

Laura Ringo, PAL: Play. Advocate. Live Well's executive director loves that the trail is a place where people can play, relax, exercise, eat, drink, enjoy the outdoors, and make their home.

"I think it's an almost perfect example of what we want to see the trail system doing. We want it to bring people together," Ringo said. "We want it to provide an opportunity to be healthy. We want it to be an opportunity for people to live, work, and play."

Hub City Gym, an old-school fitness facility with modern amenities, plans to incorporate the Rail Trail into its daily fitness classes. Owner Justin Rollins, a three-time Boston Marathon runner with over 20 years of experience as a personal trainer, knew it was the perfect location to open his first gym when the former warehouse at 103 Old Glendale Road became available.

The gym opened on July 14.

"I started running on this trail over a decade ago when there was nothing on it," Rollins said of the 1.9-mile-long trail. "I've always liked the energy of the trail."

Rollins likes that his clients won't have to depend on treadmills (which they have) but can instead use the trails to work on speed and agility. He and his trainers, Skylar and Austin Henderson, along with Tony Wilson, will incorporate the trail into their training and more than 30 weekly classes.

Across the way from the gym, sit the BoxCar luxury apartments and Ciclops Cyderi & Brewery. Ciclops is hoping for an August opening, as their last day at 197 E. Main St. will be July 25, according to a social media post.

The brewery is relocating to BoxCar Apartments, a multi-use apartment complex being developed on the Mary Black Rail Trail by the developers of The Fitzgerald, according to an article in the Herald-Journal dated Oct. 24, 2024.

On its website, BoxCar states that it is now leasing studios and one- and two-bedroom layouts with balconies on every unit.

One section of the BoxCar development opened in June. Construction crews continue working on landscaping, parking, and the remaining apartments, which are expected to open in August. Signs outside welcome curious home seekers to drop by.

The website also highlights BoxCar's walking distance to the Rail Tail Dog Park, The Fretwell, Flock Shop, and Ingles grocery store.

Boxcar amenities include:

• A co-working lounge

• Rooftop views

• Free coffee from Little River

• Podcast studio

• Sauna

• Pool

• Ciclops food and drink delivered to your lounge chair

Adam Purser, a developer on the BoxCar project and president of MyNiche Apartments, said being on the Spartanburg Rail Trail is "pretty desirable" for developers and appreciates "the energy the trail is providing."

"It's a great walking trail," he said. He loves being able to eat dinner at the Flock Shop and letting his kids play in the green space behind the restaurant.

He's seen similar trails spurring businesses in Charlotte, N.C., and Greenville with the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

"You can take your dog out in the afternoon, or have the option to ride your bike," he said about BoxCar residents. "Fretwell is an easy walk on a Saturday morning to get coffee."

BoxCar residents will also have access to community scooters, which they can use as transportation to a Hub City Spartanburgers game at 5th Third Park in downtown Spartanburg.

"You have the park, the Play 60 park, the Subaru mountain (trail) park; there's just a lot going on," he said. "The city has done a very good job trying to build up around that rail trail."

One of the two apartment buildings is open now, and the other will open in late August, he said. The pool is expected to be open next week.

Besides BoxCar, LatPurser has two other housing developments along the Rail Trail, including The Fitzgerald and another project they will start building later this year.

The brewery, which is part of BoxCar, will have a custom-built site within the complex when it relocates to its new location at 1097 Union St. The new brewery will feature a full kitchen, a larger outdoor space, and a dedicated parking lot.

Ciclops Pub manager Holden McGinnis is sad to leave their longtime location at 197 E. Saint John St., which they've had since 2015, but knows the Rail Yard location is the right move. "We want to get back to where there is foot traffic, which is our actual draw to the trail," he said. "There are so many groups having events on the trail — the run club, the mountain bike club, who are already coming here and already supporting us, but this way they can do it a little easier."

Ciclops will be a "full rebrand" at the new location, which will include a "massive outdoor area." They will be hosting many more events featuring live music and are looking to partner with numerous local artists. "At our outdoor area, each picnic table will lead you to a local artist's shop, all of which will be designed by local artists. That way, it can build little communities there."

They also hope to host vendor fairs directly on the trail to attract more small businesses to the area.

The Rail Yard

Initially, this section of the Rail Trail saw little use when it was first built.

"So we built the park because there was not a lot happening around that section of the trail," Ringo said.

The Rail Yard, a section of trail located between Forest Avenue and Country Club Road, is situated between the three new businesses.

PAL and the City of Spartanburg developed the $1.9 million park at 353 Forest Avenue, with parking along Glendale Road, and it officially opened in 2018, according to OneSpartanburg.

Features include:

• Trolley Plaza

• The Balmer Foundation Watershed Amphitheater

• Tree Tunnel and Misting Arches

• Picnic shelter

• Fitness pads and equipment

• Panthers Play 60

Besides the Rail Yard, another essential section is the Subaru Spartanburg Bike Park, which is "unique for the region," she said.

The Bike Park, featuring wood and dirt flow trails, is located behind the Flock Shop and takes "mountain bikers on a roller coaster experience with little pedaling and braking necessary," according to the PAL website.

"There are not many bike parks like it, especially not for communities our size," she said.

Busy rail trail is attractive to business owners

On a recent July weekday, cyclists were pedaling their bikes, sweaty runners were logging miles, while kids and their parents practiced drills and scored imaginary touchdowns at the Panthers Play 60. On Saturday, a group of young men played volleyball in the green space by the amphitheater.

All of these trail amenities are attractive to business owners.

The Rail Trail and trails in general spur business, Ringo said.

"Over the last couple of years, we've had 50 developers reach out, interested in connecting to the trail system because they see it as a great way to connect their residents to a great amenity, and for businesses, especially those that want people to walk into their business (right off the trail) whether it's a restaurant or coffeeshop, a brewery or a really cool gym," Ringo said. "It provides them with something to coalesce around."

Rollins said the Rail Trail will be an essential part of the Hub City Gym. "We can pack our mats and our weights and walk 10 feet, go to the Rail Yard and have a class outside," he said. "No one else has that capability."

Rail Trail: By the numbers

At the Bike Park last year, PAL registered 105,000 uses of one particular route.

The Rail Yard had approximately 21,000 uses, but the challenge with capturing data at the Rail Yard is that there are numerous entrances, making it difficult to obtain accurate data, Ringo said.

The Mary Black Rail Trail is 1.9 miles long and opened in 2006.

Furman University conducted a study in 2009 to gather data on trail usage, and 24,820 uses were recorded.

"By 2020, we had 217,000 uses, which is pretty significant growth," Ringo said.

Other important data:

• 2020 (during COVID-19) -- 217,000 uses

• 2021 -- 199,000 uses

• 2024 --150,000 uses

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"We hope it continues to serve as a great community space, and one where businesses thrive and folks go out for great physical activity, but also stop and spend their money and enjoy the community and great local businesses that we have," Ringo said.