BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Carrie Schechter knows how to fight. It's a good skill for the entrepreneur, who last year opened Jukebox in Park Slope — the first woman-owned boxing gym in Brooklyn.
Schechter says, for the most part, she's had no problem taking on the male-dominated sport.
"It depends. There are challenging times. There's always a weird competition and a pecking order in all sports, but that doesn't faze me," Schechter said.
Schechter says she's a free spirit who likes a challenge.
Her interest in boxing started 11 years ago. At the time, she was looking for an outlet from her other full-time job as a celebrity and fashion photographer which she says, on reflection, was just as stressful as running a gym.
"I was getting a little agitated a lot. There were a lot of boundaries and restrictions, and I'm a really free soul so the restrictions don't do so well for me," Schechter said.
She eventually started coaching, and when the chance to open a gym presented itself last year, she jumped at the opportunity. After a few weeks of scrambling she opened Jukebox, which offers a variety of classes all designed, she says, to teach people how to let out their aggression.
"I thought about how can I have an impact, how this is part of a revolution where people are mad and angry in this world and they need a release and they need support and they need to be seen and they need to be heard," Schechter said.
In a borough that is home to the world-famous Gleason's boxing gym, Schechter says Jukebox stands out with both its coaching style and its aesthetic, which has the feel of a nightclub.
For the people who come there to work out several times a week, there's nothing quite like taking a few swings at a boxing bag.
"I leave three notches higher than I came in because you're getting your energies out, your aggressions out, whatever brought you to the room feeling badly, you feel great coming out," said Candace Carponter, a member.
"It's the thing that allows me to not have my job be the hardest thing in my life," said Joe Warcholak, a member.
For more information and class pricing, visit jukeboxnyc.com.