A visitor to We Rock the Spectrum enjoys one of the swings. The gym accommodates all children and sells unique toys. A new location has opened at 1241 Volunteer Parkway, Suite 420, in Bristol, Tennessee.
We Rock the Spectrum is a gym franchise that focuses on making play and exercise environments that are accessible to neurodivergent children, who may need quiet areas or equipment to help develop balance or motor skills. The gym accommodates all children and sells unique toys. A new location has opened at 1241 Volunteer Parkway, Suite 420, in Bristol, Tennessee.
We Rock the Spectrum is a gym franchise that focuses on making play and exercise environments that are accessible to neurodivergent children, who may need quiet areas or equipment to help develop balance or motor skills. The gym accommodates all children and sells unique toys. A new location has opened at 1241 Volunteer Parkway, Suite 420, in Bristol, Tennessee.
We Rock the Spectrum is a gym franchise that focuses on making play and exercise environments that are accessible to neurodivergent children. The gym accommodates all children and sells unique toys.
We Rock the Spectrum is a gym franchise that focuses on making play and exercise environments that are accessible to neurodivergent children, who may need quiet areas or equipment to help develop balance or motor skills. The gym accommodates all children and sells unique toys. A new location has opened at 1241 Volunteer Parkway, Suite 420, in Bristol, Tennessee.
A visitor to We Rock the Spectrum enjoys one of the swings. The gym accommodates all children and sells unique toys. A new location has opened at 1241 Volunteer Parkway, Suite 420, in Bristol, Tennessee.
We Rock the Spectrum
The gym includes various toys that can be hard to find otherwise.
We Rock the Spectrum
We Rock the Spectrum is a gym franchise that focuses on making play and exercise environments that are accessible to neurodivergent children, who may need quiet areas or equipment to help develop balance or motor skills. The gym accommodates all children and sells unique toys. A new location has opened at 1241 Volunteer Parkway, Suite 420, in Bristol, Tennessee.
We Rock the Spectrum
We Rock the Spectrum is a gym franchise that focuses on making play and exercise environments that are accessible to neurodivergent children, who may need quiet areas or equipment to help develop balance or motor skills. The gym accommodates all children and sells unique toys. A new location has opened at 1241 Volunteer Parkway, Suite 420, in Bristol, Tennessee.
We Rock the Spectrum
We Rock the Spectrum has exercise environments for children who may need help to develop balance or motor skills.
We Rock the Spectrum
We Rock the Spectrum is a gym franchise that focuses on making play and exercise environments that are accessible to neurodivergent children. The gym accommodates all children and sells unique toys.
We Rock the Spectrum
We Rock the Spectrum is a gym franchise that focuses on making play and exercise environments that are accessible to neurodivergent children, who may need quiet areas or equipment to help develop balance or motor skills. The gym accommodates all children and sells unique toys. A new location has opened at 1241 Volunteer Parkway, Suite 420, in Bristol, Tennessee.
BRISTOL, Tenn. — We Rock the Spectrum may appear as a typical gym for kids. But for Sarah Phillips, who owns the gym with her husband, John, this establishment is more than just a business. It’s a calling.
The couple was inspired to bring the gym to Bristol, Tennessee, after visiting a franchise with John’s family in Dallas earlier this year.
We Rock the Spectrum (WRTS) Kid’s Gym for All Kids is a group of gyms that was founded in 2010 in California by Dina Kimmel. Since the first location was founded 12 years ago, WRTS has expanded into franchises across the globe. Last month, We Rock the Spectrum opened in Bristol.
For Phillips, the gym was created as an inclusive environment for all children, including her son, who was diagnosed as neurodivergent in 2019. For him, she said, inclusivity has not always been available.
“I was searching for purpose and ways to help other parents with children on the spectrum and other parents that don’t have children on the spectrum to just educate them that it’s cool to be kind,” she said. “Inclusion is really important. We learned that the hard way.
“When I walked in the door there, it was an immediate knowing that I had to bring it to the Tri-Cities.”
The gym has an array of items that children can play with. Each piece of equipment is carefully designed and installed with accessibility in mind. For example, the gym uses suspended equipment with swings. These items can help improve a child’s balance and any vestibular difficulties they may have. There are also sensory- based toys in the gym that can help a child develop auditory processing and fine motor skills. In addition, the gym has a calming room to help reduce negative sensory inputs.
The gym also has the capacity to host events such as field trips or birthday parties.
Not only does the location serve as a play area, but there is a miniature toy shop with toys that are difficult to find at many retailers, Phillips said. The toys sold are primarily from a few brands like Melissa & Doug Toys and Fat Brain Toys. The owners said WRTS aims to sell the toys at a fair price.
While WRTS is designed as a play area for children, Phillips said the interactions among parents is a critical function of the establishment as well. This is an aspect of the gym Phillips said she is especially thankful for.
“I have so enjoyed meeting other parents who are on a similar journey as my husband and I,” said Phillips, “and then parents who aren’t on our journey but are so eager to teach their children how to be kind. It’s been really cool.”
The gym is still new to Bristol, having only been open since Nov. 5, but the owners have been very pleased with the community engagement so far.
We Rock the Spectrum has seen visitors from as far as Kentucky and West Virginia. Even at this early stage for the gym, she says business has been steady. They were booked up for events for the entire month of December. The location also finished in the top 10 in the franchise for November.
Above all, Phillips said, it’s been great to see the children’s reaction of when they enter, both for the first time and when they return.
However, she wants the community to understand the overarching goal of WRTS.
“This is a place for all children,” Phillips said, “not just children with a neurodivergent diagnosis.”
WRTS is located in Bristol, Tennessee, at 1241 Volunteer Parkway, Suite 420. For more information, call (423) 573-7625 or go to www.werockthespectrumbristol.com.
