Parents are reeling after the sudden closure of Intown Stars Gymnastics, a popular training facility in Decatur for casual tumblers and competitive gymnasts.
On Wednesday, Aug. 16, Intown Stars owner Anna Santiago emailed parents a reminder to re-enroll and pay for fall semester. Registration and administrative fees were drawn from credit cards on file. Hours later the company’s email account was closed, the website was offline, and a sign hung in the window of the gym.
An email from Santiago stated that after deliberation and analysis, it had become necessary to close the business immediately.
Dear Intown Community,
The greater Atlanta community has enjoyed many years of Intown Star’s continuous success in delivering gymnastics, parkour, and other services to its customers. After much deliberation and considerable analysis, sadly it has become necessary to immediately close the business and cease operations. Continuing to operate Intown Stars is no longer financially viable.
Since its inception in 2013, Intown has successfully scaled to meet the demands of a fast-growing community of customers. This success was only possible through the collective efforts of the employees, students, and families that came through our doors year after year. Together, I believe we created something truly special and beautiful, and I am proud of our collective accomplishment. But a company can only thrive when its services can meet the unique needs of the community. At this time Intown can no longer meet those needs, and it has become time for us to close this chapter. I end this journey, grateful for the time we’ve shared.
Understandably, you may have questions and concerns to address. Please direct questions to info@intownstarsatl.com. Emails will be answered, and issues addressed as soon as possible, but please allow several days as we work through this challenging process.
In gratitude,
Anna
When parents tried to reply to Santiago’s announcement, they were met with an error message.
Instructors, who were communicating future plans with students on the day the gym closed, were caught off guard. One parent estimated that nearly 100 children were training at the facility in the hours before Santiago’s announcement was sent.
In July 2022, Intown Stars opened a multi-sport facility at 421 DeKalb Industrial Way following the $4 million renovation of a former storage and manufacturing space.
Intown Stars did not respond to Rough Draft for comment.
