Aug. 9, 2021

The Western Mall will be getting bigger for the first time in years with an addition to 605 Ninja.

The plan is to add 8,000 square feet to the west of the current location, which opened in March 2018.

“I feel like we hit our 10-year plan in three,” said Lacy Steinberg, who co-owns the business with her husband, Jason, a former competitor on “American Ninja Warrior.”

The biggest thing driving the growth: kids.

“The biggest demographic we have is 6- to 12-year-olds either cross-training for other sports because they gain so much from it or the other demographic of kids who aren’t into sports but find ninja incredibly fun.”

Increasingly, therapists are seeing the benefit too, she added.

“Nobody offers obstacle training for youth like we do in Sioux Falls, and right when we hit max capacity, we realized a lot of therapists were referring children in because ninja is fun, strengthening and conditioning, so we’re learning that therapists see value in this just like gymnastics and other things,” Steinberg said.

“Kids can play, but there’s really good motor development, strength and conditioning. From a parent’s standpoint, I cannot believe how strong ninja makes kids and how fast it happens.”

The new addition will allow for two gyms with a dividing wall.

“We will be able to add more evening class times, more open gym, more birthday party time options and a bigger space for competitions,” Steinberg said.

Even during the pandemic, 605 Ninja continued to grow, she added.

“We are currently operating at max capacity in all our classes. And we have a lot of interest,” she said. “Even during the pandemic, we had growth of over 100 members, and we just desperately need this space due to the demand.”

The business has grown to 430 members, and the new addition will support an additional 300 to 500, she said.

Plus, it no longer will need to close to host competitions and can add some that it would have had to turn away.

“So if people are traveling here, they can actually compete and play in the same day, where before we’d have to close the gym down.”

605 Ninja also is adding a separate space behind the gym specifically for its growing aerial fitness business that’s scheduled to open this fall.

The new addition is expected to be done sometime in the next year.