Athleta

Ok so I’m not quite a plus size but I’m thick and ironically a large in good quality workout pants. The worker helped me find pants that would stay up on me, not make me awe at in zumba and keep me warm. A plus service

A store that offers free fitness classes in store? 5 stars… duh! I had no idea this was going on until my friend who was leading the boxing class included me in a facebook post yesterday… I had never been in the store — went last night and was not only blown away by how cute EVERYTHING is and how much I WANT ALL THE THINGS… but again — a store that has free fitness classes in store. Enough. Said.
They’re not active on Facebook but if you follow them on Twitter you can keep up with their events plus they have a great online events calendar on their website. This is by far one of my new favorite stores. Only downside is it’s incredibly dangerous on my wallet and a lot of what I want is a bit outside my budget but I can’t wait until the next sale!

Meh. Totally not feeling this place. I stopped in here to find a sports bra and perhaps some other workout gear, but it seems to me that the focus of this store is not on fitness, but «fashion». I don’t know about anyone else, but when I go to the gym, I don’t give a rat’s ass about «being seen» — I’m there to work out and to get my sweat on. I could care less who’s looking at me or how «pretty» my outfit is. Give me a break.
All of the clothes there were either pansy purple or Pepto-​Bismol pink. Skirts over pants? What the HELL for? A pair of workout pants, that’s it, that’s all I require. I can’t even find THAT?
If you’re over a B cup in bras, don’t even try to find a sports bra here, honey. They don’t like women with sizeable assets, apparently. And plus-​size gear? Forget it, fat girls are supposed to not be interested in exercise, remember? (/​sarcasm)
You can totally do better elsewhere. UnderArmour, here I come. At least they stock sports bras for women who have larger-​than-​average chests — and don’t treat going to the gym as a social occasion.

Nice location in Towson with plenty of free parking. All the items you have seen in the catalog/​online but finally in a compact retail store. It’s set up with everything from athletic wear to clothes/​accessories that you can wear outside the gym or yoga studio. The mood is mellow and the lighting is soft to allow for a relaxing shopping experience.

This store definitely does not disappoint! I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to the Towson store opening. Obviously I was not the only one excited about their opening. There was already a large crowd when I arrived. Even so, I was met with the same amazing customer service and quality apparel I have come to expect from this company. The woman helping me was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. I think her name was Nancy (?), a soft spoken young lady with braids. She went completely out of her way to call other stores and even personally set up an online order for me (with free shipping!) when she realized that they sold out of a pair of capris that I wanted.
I’m pretty sure that Athleta is part of Gap, Inc and not the Limited chain (sorry Debby G). I’ve been shopping with them online for years. Their athletic clothing is top notch and they have the best return policy. I especially love that their running tops have strategic zippers to keep keys/​cash.
My only complaint was that the dressing room was a bit backed up. I suppose they cannot be faulted since it is to be expected from such a large crowd. Even so, I had a wonderful experience and I am happy that they finally opened an Athleta in Baltimore!

Two weeks ago I received an invitation to attend the opening of the new Athleta store which features active wear for women. Tonight I went there to see what was happening in the first Baltimore store of this national chain located next to the Fresh Market. When I arrived the parking lot was almost filled which indicated that the store was probably busy. Well it was more than busy, it was filled with happy women who either desperately needed exercise or street wear or were just crazy to stand in the two long lines in this lovely addition to the Towson shopping area. Because I am very curious I walked in and walked around the store and looked at the lines and walked out. However, I decided I was on a mission to be the first to review this store on Unilocal so I decided to interview the friendly assistant manager, Kate as well as Tonia the unofficial customer greeter Here’s what I learned. Athleta is part of the Limited chain and features exercise wear and casual street wear for women. They even have mix and match bathing suits for people who are sized differently on the top and the bottom. They offer a 30% discount for fitness instructors and yoga teachers with the proper certifications and after the two opening days of hyper-​busi-​ness the store will return to normal in a week or two. Also the store will have some fitness classes for their customers.
That’s about it. I will return and check it out when there are fewer desperate women in there who realize that they do not need another pair of yoga capris or tights in their closets. However if you feel the need to buy, Athleta has a great website and a new catalog for summer 2012. Happy shopping in person or in the virtual world.