Stephen Montoya
Jennifer and Brian Kieta invite you to try out their new training facility located at 201 Lipscomb Street.
It’s 8:28 a.m. on a Monday, and the week is already sprinting. Outside 201 Lipscomb Street, construction crews buzz around a new apartment building, and across the road, the newly revamped Morton’s Tavern sits quiet. But inside a dark room pulsing with lights and sound at UNION Cycle + Strength, the day is already in motion. The music thumps, the pedals spin, and a roomful of riders is chasing more than just sweat.
They're also getting it for free — at least this week. As part of UNION’s grand opening celebration, all classes through May 17 are complimentary. It's a big debut for a boutique studio tucked inside a restored 3,200-square-foot historic building in Fort Worth’s Near Southside, now glowing with energy, intention, and a whole lot of heart.
It wasn’t.
Jennifer joined forces with a longtime colleague — another instructor from that shuttered studio — and began sketching what a new kind of fitness community might look like. "She eventually stepped away," Jennifer says. “She had a lot going on. That’s when Brian — my husband — stepped in.”
Brian Kieta doesn’t talk like a guy who wanted to open a boutique fitness studio. He talks like a guy who listened when a higher power started sending signals. “Every time we thought maybe this isn’t the right move, something would happen that just said — keep going,” he says. “Provisions would show up, almost miraculously. It was clear we were supposed to do this.”
The journey began with the building itself. The historic structure that now houses UNION Cycle + Strength was meticulously remodeled by its owner, Brent Hull, a renowned figure in the Fort Worth area through his company, Hull Millwork & Hull Homes, which specializes in restoring old homes. Brian says Hull was one of the first supporters to push this business idea forward.
“He wanted to redo this space anyway,” Brian shared. “We were just the excuse he needed to try his hand at an industrial rebuild.”
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The name UNION itself comes from a small act of faith blossoming into a vision. It wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t branding. It was, quite literally, a sign.
The Kietas were driving back from Colorado — just Jennifer, Brian, their kids, and an open stretch of New Mexico desert. Jennifer was praying. “I said, ‘God, if UNION is the right name, give me a sign.’ Ten minutes later, we drive past a road marker: Union County Line.” She laughs. “There it was. That was the name.”
What followed was a slow-burning labor of love. They took over the old Hull House storage space and began atransformation that lasted over a year. Brent Hull, the building’s owner and a high-end homebuilder, handled the bones of the build. Jennifer and Brian? They handled everything else.
“We chose the tile, the lights, the floors, even installed a scent machine,” Brian says. “We wanted it to feel elevated. More hotel lobby than gym locker room.”
Stephen Montoya
The result is a boutique studio that feels equal parts SoulCycle, spa, and spiritual retreat. There’s mood lighting, top-of-the-line Stages bikes, and a lighting system that syncs with the rhythm of the class. You start in darkness, you move together, you build, and then — just when you think you can’t do more — the lights rise with the music. It's sweaty. It's communal. It's addictive.
“I’ve always believed movement is better together,” Jennifer says. “People come in with all different goals, all different stories. But for 45 minutes, we move in sync. We lift each other up — physically, emotionally, even spiritually.”
UNION’s class lineup is simple but dialed: rhythm-based cycling, strength training focused on functional movement, and a “fusion” class that offers 25 minutes of each. There are eight cycling instructors, four strength instructors, and a growing roster of regulars. Morning classes start as early as 5:15 a.m. and then throughout the day until the evening sessions at 5:30. And if you forget your cycling shoes or towel? Rentals are right up front.
The grand opening was May 10, but the doors have quietly been open for four weeks. The early buzz? All heart. “We’re offering free classes through May 17 to give people a chance to just come in and feel it,” Jennifer says. “We’re not like anything else in Fort Worth. And we’re proud of that. Everything about UNION has been community-driven. We couldn’t have done this without people believing in the heart of what we’re building.”
