A vacant Blockbuster Video storefront in Edgewater is about to get a very different kind of rental: The Stable Strength and Conditioning, a new gym founded by husband-and-wife team Alex and Annie Witkus, is set to open this fall at 189 Mitchells Chance Road, with a grand opening celebration planned for October 3.
The gym will occupy space inside Main Street at South River Colony, the outdoor retail village that has anchored the 1,400-acre South River Colony master-planned community since it opened in December 2003 as a $25 million project designed to echo downtown Annapolis's architectural style, according to the Maryland Daily Record. Blockbuster Video was one of the shopping center's original tenants when it first opened over two decades ago, the same outlet notes, making The Stable's arrival a symbolic changeover from big-box video rental to boutique fitness. As reported by Eye On Annapolis, the gym will offer personalized strength and fitness programs tailored to members' individual goals, experience, and lifestyles, with an emphasis on athletic performance, overall health, strength, and mobility.
Co-founder Alex Witkus brings a resume that blends athletics and business. He played Division I collegiate baseball as an outfielder and team captain at Fairfield University in Connecticut, earning MAAC All-Academic Team honors in 2015, according to Fairfield University Athletics. He later stepped away from a corporate accounting job to purchase and operate Patriot CrossFit in Arlington, Virginia, in April 2021, per MightyMeals.
A Competitive Athlete Behind the Barbell
Witkus has also competed at a high level in his own right, taking part in the Rx Team division at Wodapalooza in both 2023 and 2024 and placing 411th in the North America East region during the 2024 CrossFit Quarterfinals, according to Patriot CrossFit. Per Eye On Annapolis, Witkus also has a background in farming, and he said fitness should meet people where they are and help them reach their goals. The gym plans to emphasize connections among members alongside individualized programming, the outlet reports.
Annie Witkus, meanwhile, was born and raised in Annapolis. The couple lives with their family on a farm in West River, Eye On Annapolis reports. She said The Stable reflects the place they proudly call home, according to the outlet's coverage of the opening.
Hyatt Commercial Brokered the Deal
Commercial real estate firm Hyatt Commercial formally announced the lease agreement for The Stable at Main Street at South River Colony on August 3, according to the Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce. Hyatt Commercial Senior Vice President George Shenas and Senior Sales and Leasing Associate Collin Mercier represented The Stable in securing the Edgewater location, per Hyatt Commercial. Shenas said The Stable is a great addition to Main Street at South River Colony and the greater Edgewater community, according to the same account. Landlord brokerage for the property is handled separately by Rosso Commercial Real Estate Services, per Main Street at South River Colony's own site.
Fitness Boom Along a Busy Corridor
The Stable's arrival fits into a larger pattern of health and wellness businesses moving into Edgewater commercial space along the Solomons Island Road corridor, which carried roughly 41,860 vehicles per day and drew more than 1.1 million annual visitors to nearby centers as of 2022, according to leasing data from JLL Properties. Just down the road, the long-vacant Kmart is filling back up with fitness and recreation tenants including Planet Fitness and Dill Dinkers pickleball courts at the neighboring Marketplace at South River Colony, part of a broader shift in the area from traditional retail toward experiential, activity-based businesses. Additional information about The Stable's programs and membership options is available on the gym's website.
