CENTENNIAL, Colo. — After almost two decades in business, Rock'n & Jam'n 2, a rock climbing gym, must close by the end of this month.
The general manager of the Centennial location, Kegan Minock, said their landlord sold the building and the new owner does not want to renew their lease.
“It's heartbreaking. I mean, I've been climbing for most of my life," Minock said. “We have to cease operations on Feb. 28."
Minock said he started climbing at Rock'n & Jam'n 2 when he was in high school. He got his first job there in his 20s and worked his way up to general manager. He was supposed to take over the gym as an owner on March 1.
“It wasn't building something from scratch. It was more so like taking over a legacy... It was something that, you know, my kids could be proud of," Minock said while at the gym on Monday. “I don't really know what's happening next.”
Minock said financially, closing the gym is a total loss for the current owners.
“Ultimately, the follow up to this would be, we have to build another gym. But that's very costly. It's very time consuming. And with the growth of the climbing industry, by the time we're able to get something up and going, we might already be too late," Minock explained. “We've exhausted every possibility that we can."
Still, the years spent in the gym are invaluable to the ones who love it.
“This isn't just the community, this is the family," said Minock. “Those friendships are going to go beyond these walls.”
The last day people can come climb at the Centennial location is Sunday, Feb. 26. Everyone is invited to a celebration that day of the gym.
There is a Rock'n & Jam'n in Thornton that will not be impacted by this closure.
