Kyle Davis Deegan was busy. A corporate real estate attorney and partner at the Dallas law firm Locke Lord, and a parent of two kids, ages 3 and 5, she was trying to balance her work, her new role as a parent, and her health. It was nearly impossible to pack it all in, especially with the various components of her wellness routine spread across the city.
So she created a one-stop shop: Wesley Wellness Club, which opened in late October and offers a variety of fitness classes and multiple membership packages with spa features like infrared saunas, lymphatic massages and cold baths.
“You can have access to those facilities, but you have to go to a separate space from the gym,” Davis-Degan said. “You can’t just work out and then walk down the hall to a cold bath. For me personally, that was my hope to maximize flexibility and mood.”
In the months since the health club opened, Wesley has gained roughly 100 members across the gym’s various tiers, and is seeing a steady stream of visitors from subscription services like ClassPass.
Davis Degan, 38, has put more than $250,000 of her own money into opening the club on Ross Avenue near Lower Greenville. She received a loan of about $1.4 million from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
“Without that, none of this would have been possible,” said Davis Degan, who is well-paid as an attorney and can’t imagine being a small business owner without the capital and access to information she had, especially when it came to knowing what resources were available from agencies like the SBA.
“That’s why this program is so important and probably underutilized in some communities,” she said.
The loan covered the construction costs of the gym, furniture, equipment, labor and even an initial stock of beet and kale chips.
Secretary Isabella Guzman, a member of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet, visited the 6,800-square-foot health club on Tuesday as part of a tour of Black-owned small businesses around the country that were launched with help from the SBA.
Ted James, the SBA’s regional administrator for five states including Texas, said the agency has doubled its loans to Black-owned businesses and tripled its loans to Latino businesses as it touts a small business boom under the Biden-Harris administration.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, 5.5 million new business applications were submitted in 2023. According to the SBA, this year marks its most successful year for new business applications and the third consecutive year of historic growth for small businesses.
According to the SBA, new business applications have averaged 440,000 per month during the administration’s first three years in office, 46% higher than the combined average of the previous four years.
“16 million new small business applications were filed, Black ownership is at its highest in 30 years, and the number of Black households owning small businesses has doubled,” Guzman said. “These are truly exciting times.”
The gym is equipped with lavender lockers and a self-serve acai machine, and Davis Deegan’s goal is for all members to learn about her and Wesley’s backgrounds; the club is named after her daughter.
“It’s a love letter to her,” Davis Deegan said, “to encourage her to take care of herself.”
