Episode notes
The wellness real estate sector is booming, and we're diving deep into the movement that is [solidcore].
On this episode of ‘Behind the Lease’, we sit down with Josh Rainey, Head of Real Estate for [solidcore], who is leading their massive expansion and shares the strategy behind opening 27 new studios in 2025 alone.
Josh discusses [solidcore]'s growth, accelerating post-COVID from its 2013 DC origins, and how his unique background shapes site selection. He explains how he applies lessons from CloudKitchens, a model based on invisibility and efficiency, to [solidcore]'s focus on visibility and community.
We cover:
- [solidcore]'s Accelerated Growth. The brand's journey from a single DC studio built by hand to an acceleration post-COVID, including opening 27 studios in 2025.
- The Unique Site Selection Lens. How his time at CloudKitchens taught him to look at the total addressable market potential and use a "marketing lens" on data, prioritizing the "psychographic blend" of a community to identify consumers who will be "easy to convert".
- The Shift to Suburban Centers. Why the urban-first brand is successfully making the leap to suburban shopping centers, navigating lower-density environments, and increasing store square footage to enhance the client experience.
- The 18-Hour Ecosystem. The ideal location criteria: a blend of lifestyle and daily needs components, with co-tenants like grocers, soft goods, buzzy cafes, or local restaurant groups to ensure the center feels comfortable and exciting during the brand's key revenue-driving times (early mornings and late evenings).
- New Expansion Markets. The strategy of balancing infill in major population centers (California, Texas, Florida) with entry into secondary and tertiary markets that might surprise people, like Oklahoma City, Rhode Island, and Buffalo, NY.
- Real Estate as Brand Positioning. The value of using curated platforms like Brandmarch to drive consistency in real estate choice, safeguard brand positioning, and ensure the brand remains selective towards the premium end of retail.
This is a practical conversation about how boutique fitness brands are charting a course for expansion in modern retail markets, using unique data insights to fuel rapid, intentional growth.
Josh Rainey's Areas of Expertise
- Wellness real estate expansion and strategy
- Tenant representation for boutique fitness brands
- Site selection using psychographic data and market conversion potential
- Mastering the shift from urban-first to suburban mixed-use assets
- Developing co-tenancy and "18-hour ecosystems" for client retention
Markets Discussed
- DC (Adams Morgan)
- Atlanta
- Charlotte
- New York City suburbs
- Oklahoma City
- Rhode Island
- Las Vegas
- Salt Lake City
- California
- Texas
- Florida
- The Carolinas
- Buffalo, NY