Shoreline Business Spotlight: Uplift Climbing seeks to foster a love of rock climbing

Climbing wall photo courtesy Uplift

Uplift Climbing, 17229 15th Ave NE, Shoreline, WA 98155 in the North City Business District

Q & A with Andrew Hou, Owner of Uplift Climbing

By Jeremy Gross

As part of the ongoing series to highlight local businesses, I spoke with Andrew, the owner of Uplift Climbing in Shoreline. Andrew shared his journey from his early love for climbing to running a climbing gym in our community since February 2021.

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Jeremy: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you starting climbing?

Andrew: I discovered climbing in late high school. I was born in Connecticut but then lived overseas for a long time. My parents are from Southeast Asia, and the majority of my younger childhood was in China and Malaysia. We moved to Washington for my freshman year of high school.

I immediately just got enamored with the outdoor culture that exists out here. Hiking and camping led to mountains and into rock climbing. I started climbing in earnest around my junior and senior years in high school.

After college, I spent 10 years working as a software engineer, but never really let go of that feeling of what it would be like to open my own gym.

Jeremy: What makes Uplift Climbing different from other gyms in the area?

Andrew: If you walk into other climbing gyms, typically you'll find a great facility that's built well but tries to do it all. So, if you go in on a Tuesday evening, you might run into a birthday party and a kids team practice and a corporate event all at the same time

But there is a specific clientele that I felt was really getting pushed out, which is people like me – people that have decided that climbing is something that they want to pursue as a sport and something they want to pursue athletically instead of just recreationally. And rock climbing is super fun, it is a recreation, and I encourage people to explore it as a recreation.

But we’re also here to pursue it a little bit further and make it a part of a regular exercise routine. We're trying to get the folks that want to stick around and say, “Hey, how good can I actually get at this?”

I would say a significant number of our members are people that have spent a lot of time in other climbing gyms around town and then have found the flavor of climbing gym that we offer. They are attracted to our gym and want to stick around.

Watching the climb
Photo courtesy Uplift

Jeremy: I imagine that rock climbing can be overwhelming or intimidating for a newbie... “Do you mean I need to climb upside down?”

Andrew: We pride ourselves pretty heavily on showing new rock climbers this way of rock climbing. It'll be their very first time and we offer beginner classes, different community events and programs. I'm proud of the welcoming culture that we've developed among our staff and our membership. People really get brought into the fold pretty quickly.

They say, “Wow, not only is this a new activity that is way more fun than I thought it was, but there's this entire room full of community of people that are all invested in my success right now.” So even if it's their first time, even if it's early on in their journey, it feels good to come into the space.

Rock climbing is one of those cool sports where it's really collaborative. It's an individual sport in the sense that I'm just climbing by myself on the wall. But everybody sits on the bench, shares tips back and forth, and collaborates on different techniques and paths to get up the wall.

Uplift + Community
Taylor Gerlach Photography

Jeremy: What are some of your future plans for Uplift Climbing Gym?

Andrew: I’m really excited about having a new manager coming in, which will give me more time to work on business and community partnerships. I want to figure out ways to collaborate more locally.

For example, we have kids from Shorecrest High School who found Uplift and just completely fell in love with it. They started a climbing club and come here five days a week. They’re even doing their homework upstairs. I’d love to foster more of those kinds of relationships and help grow that program.

We also host a USA Climbing youth qualifying event every year. That one’s really fun because it brings in top youth competitors from all over the state. This is high-level climbing right here in our neighborhood! And I tell Sue who is next door at Ichi Bento: “On Saturday, you cannot run out of chicken! Buy so much chicken because we're going to have 250 kids and all their families here!”

Jeremy: What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting their own business?

Andrew: I've been fortunate enough to do some consulting for climbing gyms that have tried to open over the last couple of years. I cannot over stress enough how much you should really be doing your homework around what it means to run this business. I'm not only talking about things like reading a Profit & Loss or a Balance Sheet – of course that’s needed... but like if your bathroom overflows at 2:00 AM, who's gonna go fix it? If that's going to be you, you need to plan your life around that kind of stuff.

Also, when you're opening a business, you have to do it not just because you love rock climbing...it has to be everything else...you have to be excited about working with people, excited about being in a community, providing jobs and opportunities to employees.

Because if you try to turn your hobby into your job just because you love your hobby, then it won't be your hobby anymore.

Jeremy: Do you have a favorite customer story?

Andrew: There are two customer stories that I really love. The first one is about this 13-year-old kid who lived down the street. After we opened, he thought it was the best thing ever and every single day, he would walk to the 7-Eleven, grab an Arizona iced tea, and then come over to Uplift to climb for about 3 1/2 hours. He would leave his iced tea can somewhere in the gym, never in the garbage, so we'd always know he was here. Watching him develop and grow, not just in his climbing, but as a young person, talking to us about his grades and what's going on in school. It feels like such a privilege to have this insight into a young man's life as he's making his way into adulthood, and that we can contribute in some small way.

The second story is about a guy who came in who was a little heavier set—someone you might not think of as a typical rock climber. I got to talking with him and asked what brought him in. He said he had tried all sorts of different types of exercise, but nothing had really stuck until he found climbing – it was fun. He wanted to keep up with his 3-year-old son. He just keeps showing up, getting better, shedding some weight, and getting fit. Now we see him at the park running around with his kid. That feels really special to be that opportunity for folks.

Jeremy: For someone new to climbing or considering trying it out, what should they know before coming to Uplift Climbing Gym?

Andrew: You don’t need any reservations. We are an open gym, so anytime we’re open, you can just come on in with whatever clothes you feel comfortable moving in. We have rental shoes here for you – kind of like the system you’d find at a bowling alley – although some people will climb in their street shoes.

We also offer beginner bouldering classes three times a week, which is a great introduction to climbing. These classes are $40 and include an hour of instruction. Plus, you get an additional free week of access to the gym so you can try out climbing during that week to see if this sport is for you. And if you decide to become a member after that, we’ll apply the $40 from the class towards your first month. It’s a great way to get started and experience what we offer.

Business Contact Details

Uplift Climbing can be found online or call 206-338-6868 for more information. They are located at 17229 15th Ave NE, Shoreline, WA 98155. (Across the street from the Safeway grocery store.)

Interviewer Details

Jeremy Gross is a personal & business finance and cash flow coach for small business owners. He loves learning about each business owner’s journey into entrepreneurship and helping others on their business adventures! You can reach him at jeremy@youpluscash.com or learn more at www.youpluscash.com.