Charlotte loves vintage restaurants. But what about vintage gym machines?
Charlotte has a reputation of loving things that are shiny and new, but look a little closer, and you’ll see that’s not quite true.
Proof positive already lives in our beloved Classic Eats restaurants, frequented by Charlotte natives and newcomers alike.
Now, it turns out there’s another way to get that deep dose of ’80s and ’90s nostalgia right here in the Queen City — without going to The Upside Down.
Meet The Graveyard
Meet The Graveyard — I’d argue that’s an ironic name, given a visit here may actually keep you out of one for a bit longer.
The Graveyard is an old-school gym area with 27 vintage weight machines inside The Fitness Factory of Charlotte in NoDa, a gym that’s open 24/7. Exercise here, and you’ll feel like you time traveled to 1985 to pump iron. Don’t forget your sweatband!
A lit, coffin-shaped sign designed by local welder (and Fitness Factory member) Ben Parrish of Steel Design Studios lets you know you’ve arrived.
Owner Eileen Fagan told CharlotteFive that she started her collection with a few pieces, and it grew over time. The oldest one is an Icarian seated shoulder press from the early 1980s.
“I was always collecting old-school equipment. It’s just equipment that you can’t get anywhere else. People who are gym rats or have been doing this for years, they come here just to get on pieces that they used 30, 40 years ago.”
On the day we visited, Fagan sported a bright blue tank with matching shoes. Combo’d with her orange socks and sports bra, it put you smack in the middle of that ’80s/’90s vibe. Her gray merle-coated Great Dane, Oreo, was a great co-host, following our cameras everywhere.
“If you see me, you’ll see her — she follows me everywhere I go,” Fagan said.
Is a dog a reason enough to join a gym? Asking for a friend ...
What about these older machines?
The 1980s were known for its explosion in fitness trends, including Jazzercise, aerobics with Jane Fonda and Sweatin’ to the Oldies with Richard Simmons — and bodybuilders and strength athletes.
Famous bodybuilders used the same types of machines that can be found in The Graveyard, Fagan said.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno.
“The Quadfather” Tom Platz.
Lee Priest, known for his calves.
Does one need to be working on a 1980s bodybuilder physique to use this section of the gym? Actually, all kinds of people use it, Fagan tells us.
“People love it. You have people like, there’s foodies, there’s gym rats and people like that, that just go to get on certain pieces of equipment.”
(And welders!)
Vintage is cool, sure, but are we here for the vibes or the hypertrophy? With so many technology advances in fitness equipment, how do these older machines actually hold up? The answer is proven by the smooth, controlled force of the retro beauties still in daily use.
Ω“It’s legendary, and it’s the best equipment you can get,” Fagan said.
The equipment of bodybuilding legends
During our Fitness Factory visit, gym member Louis Rose worked out on the gym’s MedX Avenger machine.
“This probably really is one of the most sought after leg presses in the world,” Fagan said. “When I train people, I tell them, put their feet a little bit closer than shoulder width. ... You almost feel like your knees and your chin are going to hit each other. And then slowly go back out, nice and easy.”
By going slow and controlled, you work the hamstrings and glutes, she explained. “Arthur Jones was a genius,” she added, about the creator of the Avenger. He was also the creator of Nautilus (more below ⬇️). Fagan believes this leg press may feel better to people who have knee issues, as well.
“I think this is the best machine in here,” Rose said. “If you go slow and controlled the way you’re supposed to, it blows your legs up. I mean, the contraction just feels so good.”
Nick Peterson, while using a Nautilus chain-driven leg extension machine, explained why he likes the relic machines. “They don’t make stuff like this anymore. The overall construction ... they’ll continue to work for years and years.”
Chris Williams was busy on the Nautilus chain-driven leg curl. Chain-driven was “how they made everything in the 1970s,” Fagan told us.
She asked Williams if it feels smooth. “Really smooth,” he answered without breaking concentration, his nose less than an inch above the pad and his smartwatch with a bright orange band serving as a modern contrast to the aged machine.
“Targets the hamstrings and glutes pretty good. ... You have complete control over the movement from beginning to end.”
Sporting a Dickies ball cap, gym goer Zenon Parker used an old Magnum Biangular row, demonstrating the machine’s adjustable handles and deep stretch position. “I’m really just hammering the upper back here,” he said, biting his bottom lip while talking through his set.
“With these machines, they just have a lot of old school stuff, and a lot of variety. You want to hit your body in any kind of angle you can imagine, they’ve got a machine for it,” Parker said.
Other Graveyard machines include a standing chest press, Paramount pieces that Fagan says you can’t get anymore and a donkey calf machine. “They’re just things that people have never seen before — except people like me,” she said. Then she quickly added: “old.”
Funny, she doesn’t look ... (She’s 58, for the record). But wait: that’s exactly the point of the legendary iron. This equipment — and the people using it — were built to last.
Alex Cason contributed reporting.
The Fitness Factory of Charlotte
Location: 3811 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205
Instagram: @fitnessfactorycharlotte
Uniquely Charlotte: Uniquely Charlotte is an Observer subscriber collection of moments, landmarks and personalities that define the uniqueness (and pride) of why we live in the Charlotte region.
This story was originally published November 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
