Owner of shuttered Intown Stars Gymnastics obtains business license for new gym in Florida

The owner of the shuttered Intown Stars Gymnastics obtained a business license for new gym in Miami days before abruptly closing the popular Decatur facility.

According to Florida state records, a business license was issued to Anna Helen Santiago on Aug. 12 for a new business called Crystal River Gymnastics in the Ives Estates neighborhood of North Miami.

Staff reminded families at Intown Stars Gymnastics to pay for team fees the same week the gym shuttered, parents confirmed. Registration and administrative fees were automatically drawn from credit cards on file.

On Aug. 15, while an estimated 100 students were training in the gym, Santiago was preparing to shutter the business. That night, the company’s email account was closed, the website was offline, and social media accounts were erased.

In an email sent to parents , Santiago wrote that the facility was “no longer financially viable.” Clients who tried to respond had their emails bounce back.

In part, her letter stated: “ Together, I believe we created something truly special and beautiful, and I am proud of our collective accomplishment. But a company can only thrive when its services can meet the unique needs of the community. At this time Intown can no longer meet those needs, and it has become time for us to close this chapter. I end this journey, grateful for the time we’ve shared .”

Santiago opened Intown Stars Gymnastics in 2013 for competitive gymnasts and casual tumblers. In July 2022, Intown Stars opened a multi-sport facility at 421 DeKalb Industrial Way following the $4 million renovation of a former storage and manufacturing space.

Former Intown Stars Gymnastics COO Brittany Baker told Rough Draft that she worked for Santiago from 2017 to 2023, leaving the company after a “heated conversation” with Santiago, who insisted on cutting costs.

As the COO, Baker regularly met with the payroll processing company and accountant. She estimated payroll costs were approximately $60,000 every two weeks.

Baker said that Santiago instructed the administrative team to cut payroll costs by 30%, “which is actually her just coming to us and saying, ‘Well, you guys all take a pay deduction.'”

Santiago alledgedly did not offer to cut her own salary.

“I told her, ‘I think you, as the owner, need to take a 30% payroll deduction until we’re right side up, because that’s what owners do.’ And I quit the next day because that conversation didn’t go well,” Baker said.

Four members of the Intown Stars leadership team also quit within a week, Baker said, “because we knew at that point that [Santiago] wasn’t willing to make sacrifices in order to keep the company.”

Baker said she and several other former employees have seen Santiago moving equipment out of Intown Stars since its closure.

Some parents have been able to recover money from Intown Stars. One Decatur parent told Rough Draft that she recovered $250 from her credit card company after being charged for the first month of her 8-year-old’s program. The family hasn’t been able to find another gym with openings in the area.

Another parent who heard about the closure locked their credit card before the tuition fee could be withdrawn from their account.

Atlanta School of Gymnastics in Tucker and the Peach Pit in Atlanta filled quickly after the closure of Intown Stars Gymnastics. Some families have been unable to enroll their children in other gyms in the area because classes and teams are full.

Parents have been upset over Santiago’s decision making for months. In January, Santiago fired the head coach of the competitive teams two weeks before the first meet of the season, and hours after dues were drawn from families’ credit cards on file.

“To switch to a new coach is difficult at any time, but two weeks before the first meet is just dangerous and cruel,” said parent Leslie Petosa. “Reasons for his termination were described as ‘made after careful consideration and thorough evaluation,’ yet this left the team with an inadequate number of coaches and no immediate plan to remedy the unsafe coaching numbers.”

Coach Taylor McClendon and the team transferred to Atlanta School of Gymnastics in Tucker, where McClendon trained as a young athlete. Petosa’s money was returned.

“I don’t think Anna does anything rashly, but it certainly isn’t transparent,” Petosa said.

Santiago could not be reached for comment.

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