Los Angeles Gym Shark Pop-Up Shop

I’ve been waiting for this moment for a couple months now and it’s finally here. Gym Shark (a U.K. based fitness apparel company) was coming to Los Angeles and bringing along their most popular fitness athlete. It was also the release of my girl Nikki Blackketter’s Season 2 line. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Nikki, she is a very popular YouTube vlogger and Gym Shark fitness model. I love watching her channel and following her Instagram for workout inspiration. Nikki seems like a girl that you can relate to and kick it with. Nikki and I are the same height and she has the body I’ve always dreamed of. Last year I told myself that I would love to meet her. So as soon as I heard that the pop-up shop was coming I knew I had to go.

The Long Wait
I woke up on Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. and ran through the shower and was on the road by 8:00 a.m. The pop-up shop was held in Santa Monica so it took me about two hours to drive up from San Diego.
Now I knew that there would be a line and I would probably be there for three hours tops….I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
As soon as I made it to the location I saw a huge line of people. I’m talking about thousands of people lined up for about three blocks! I was not prepared at all!! I didn’t think to grab a jacket or grab something to eat and drink beforehand because I was going to have brunch with my best friend later on that day.
I got in line at 10:10 a.m. and the line were moving pretty good until noon. By that time I was already feeling weak but I didn’t want to miss the chance to meet Nikki and buy some of her new clothing. So I sucked it up and stuck it out for the long hall. It got cold really quick and there were opportunities to grab food but the choices didn’t appeal to my stomach that’s had been having issues all week.
I have to say that the Gym Shark crew is really awesome. They came out to make sure everyone was okay and updating us on available merchandise. Many of the Gym Shark fitness athletes came outside to the lines to take photos and talk to the people waiting. I thought that was pretty amazing for them to do that.
They really go above and beyond to keep their customers happy.

Meeting Nikki Blackketter
After eight long and hungry hours shivering in the cold overcast skies, I finally made it to the front of the store. I could see Nikki through the windows and all the amazing clothing that I came to purchase.Once I was able to come into the store I went straight for the women’s clothing rack and grabbed some leggings, a razorback black top, an exclusive Gym Shark L.A. shirt, and a Nikki Blackketter sweatshirt.
There was a huge line to try on clothing so I bought the stuff I had assuming they would fit. There was no line at the register but I was so delirious from not eating all day that I could barely remember my debit card PIN number.Then it was time to get in line to meet Nikki and Whitney.  by that time I was really confused because it was getting close to the end of the night that they were closing the line to meet the fitness athletes.
I asked one of the Gym Shark security guards if they were still letting fans take photos with Nikki and Whitney and he said that they weren’t.
I was starting to get disappointed but then I mentioned that I stood in line for over 8 hours and the security guard escorted me over to the line and got me in. I didn’t have to wait there very long so I got my camera and phone ready for pictures and I noticed that my camera wasn’t charged!!!
To make matters worse I’ve recently been having issues with my phone freezing so I was panicking. Thankfully I was able to jump ahead in line since I only wanted to meet Nikki.
I was so excited to meet Nikki and was welcomed with a warm smile. We only had a few minutes to talk but the one thing that she said that really uplifted me was that she said I looked beautiful and she gave me the biggest hug.I’m not sure if she was just saying that but I was really surprised and didn’t realize that I needed to hear that I was beautiful, encouraged, and to be hugged. I told Nikki how much she inspires me and I waited 8 hours just to be able to meet her. She truly seemed grateful and overwhelmed by all the love and support that she was receiving. I was amazed at how genuine and real that she is.
The overwhelming vibe of the day was gratitude and kindness. Everyone from the security guards, cashiers, and Gym Shark fitness athletes really wanted to make this pop-up shop experience as positive as possible for everyone.
Even though a lot of us stood in line for hours whined about how long things, we still stuck it out.
I was amazed just how “normal” and real that these people are. I honestly didn’t know what to expect.

What I Learned From Gym Shark Pop-Up Experience

This pop-up shop was really an amazing experience. I got to be part of someone’s dream (Nikki’s) and vision for women. She had a completely different life five years ago and completely turned her life around and made herself into something great. This is really inspiring and made me realize that I could do the same if I allowed myself the chance to grow. The positive energy from all the people who were there was really inspiring. Everyone that was there was kind and that says a lot about Gym Shark company. I’m so proud to wear their clothing and look forward to buying more gear!!! I’m so inspired to workout and get my Youtube channel up and running. All of these amazing Gym Shark athletes took a chance and shared their story with the world.

Now it’s time to share my story.