Old School settles in at Hillcrest home
by Terron Hampton | Staff Writer
Buddy Harrison has proclaimed to be a man of faith, and he said his beliefs set into motion a series of events that found a new home for his boxing gym, Old School Boxing.
In late June Harrison said he took his car to Sam's Car Wash on Branch Avenue in Hillcrest Heights and decided that he would take a walk southbound. As he strolled along, his thoughts were of his boxing gym, and of finding it a new location.
"I just closed my eyes and asked God for a sign and, no lie, I looked up to my left across the street and a big 'For Lease' sign was there," Harrison said of an office space located at 3405 Bonita Street in Hillcrest Heights which sits above Riggs Seafood. "I called the number on it and the guy met me at the location 45 minutes later."
After Harrison was shown several spaces within the building, he settled on an area with windows facing toward Branch Ave. The space was previously used as seven separate offices. Old School Boxing moved in Aug. 1.
The demand for the new gym, though largely unspoken, came from several different problems with the former location on Old Alex Ferry Road in Clinton. The old gym was a converted garage in the back of a building. A number of other businesses joined Old School in the converted garages and the area was prone to problems with clutter. The location also had climate control problems.
"It would get so cold down there because we had no heat," said Harrison, who said he used a space heater in the winter that cost him more than $400 per month to run.
The former site had about 1,700 square feet of space while the new location has approximately 3,000 square feet, Harrison said.
Ultimately, the new location proved more convenient.
"So many kids couldn't get there to the other spot," said Harrison, who as a resident of the District, has persuaded a number of at-risk youth in his neighborhood to start training at his gym. "Now they can ride the Metro and get out and walk to the gym from the Branch Avenue Station."
Many of the children among Old School's 83 members would often have serious issues trying to use public transportation to travel to Clinton. A number of the young boxers' parents cannot afford cars, Harrison said.
In virtually every way, the new location is an upgrade. Although it comes with a $2,000-a-month rent, the new facility has superior climate control. Previously, a tiny room served as the bathroom. Now, one of the stalls in the men's bathroom is nearly bigger than the entire restroom at the Old Alex Ferry road location.
Included with the package was a parking lot which can hold approximately 70 cars.
The gym has many new items, including a boxing ring without a wood foundation, which provides for easier maintenance and a lower cost overall. Everything at the old facility was sold, Harrison said.
The only holdovers from the old gym include the trainers – Tim Valentine, Doug Avery, Marvin Thomas and Jerry Jones – and a few artifacts.
In its new location, Old School Boxing already has fans in the surrounding neighborhood.
"We both have always followed boxing," said Reggie Johnson, who lives several houses down the street from the gym with his wife, Cathy. "A lot of young kids can really use it. It can keep them out of trouble and off of the streets. I'm glad they're here."
"There is some interest amongst the kids in the neighborhood," Cathy Johnson added. "A lot of people have come up to me and asked about it."
Harrison said that he plans to have a boxing card in September held in the adjacent parking lot.
E-mail Terron Hampton at thampton@gazette.net.
