On a low-slung industrial block in West Philadelphia, a factory with more than 80 years of history is still quietly turning out the Pilates gear that defines the classical method. Inside the Gratz Pilates workshop, woodworkers, welders and upholsterers handcraft reformers, Cadillacs, wall units and barrels to tight specs that have barely budged in decades. Now the company is preparing for a move to a much larger Port Richmond headquarters, a shift leaders say will dramatically ramp up production, grow local hiring and keep this niche corner of small-batch manufacturing rooted in the city as boutique fitness keeps booming worldwide.
Inside the shop: slow, precise craftsmanship
"Everything's made by hand here in the shop in Philadelphia," Adam Leenig, Gratz's director of manufacturing, told 6ABC. Each reformer takes roughly 50 hours to build and involves about eight craftspeople, he said, moving through a meticulous workflow of hand-sanding, metal work, upholstery and final assembly. Before any machine leaves the floor, staff test it on site, part of the quality control studios are paying for.
Leenig also described plans for a Port Richmond complex that the company expects will add seminar space and boost production capacity, giving the operation more room to keep the old-school methods while speeding up how many machines can actually ship out the door.
From New York roots to a Philly stronghold
According to Gratz Pilates, the firm started in 1929 in New York as Treitel-Gratz and did not jump into Pilates right away. It began building apparatus in the 1960s, at the request of Romana Kryzanowska, a protégé of Pilates founder Joseph Pilates himself. The latest ownership group, which took control in June 2024, says it aims to protect that lineage while shrinking lead times and expanding the company's global reach.
Small-batch production, big demand
The West Philadelphia facility currently operates out of roughly 27,000 square feet and employs about 88 people, who collectively turn out thousands of machines each year, 6ABC reported. A significant share of that output heads overseas. Leenig said Korea is one of the company's largest markets, and staffers emphasize that the careful, hands-on checks built into the process are a core part of what international studios are paying for.
What the expansion could mean for Philly
Gratz Pilates says it ships to more than 170 countries and promotes itself as the original manufacturer of Joseph Pilates' apparatus, a reputation that carries particular weight with classical instructors and studios. Company leaders say the planned 150,000-square-foot Port Richmond headquarters would include event and training space, double or even triple output and bring in new hires from nearby neighborhoods. They frame the move as a way to keep artisanal manufacturing alive in Philadelphia while demand for high-end Pilates equipment keeps climbing.
