Muhammad Ali once said, “The service you do for others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” Those are the words guiding how Tricia Arcaro Turton manages her gym, Arcaro Boxing.
“If it wasn’t for other people that were beacons of hope showing me the way, I wouldn’t be a business owner doing what I’m doing,” she said. “If I don’t give back, I’m not really honoring what my community did for me.”
Arcaro Boxing, located in the Central District, is more than a boxing gym; it’s a place for people to gain new skills and get healthy. To help expand the services and clientele the gym is reaching, Arcaro Turton used our Tenant Improvement Program to get new equipment. The TI Program is part of our work to lead projects and make investments that open access to economic opportunities. By providing forgivable loans to small businesses, we help reduce the cost of purchasing essential equipment or new signage, helping them stabilize and grow.
Arcaro Turton used the funds to purchase an InBody Scanner, a second cable machine, and to replace the boxing ring. She says the scanner and cable machine will open the gym up to those who aren’t as interested in boxing but are looking to improve their health.
“We help people fix scoliosis, knee pain, join pain, we help Parkinson’s patients move better. The cable machine is a big staple part of it,” she explained. “The scanner means we can be more holistic in our approach to coaching, helping people make healthier decisions in regard to eating and nutrition.”
Arcaro Turton has a long career in boxing, including more than two decades as a coach. It started when she was retiring from rugby – she played for the U.S. national team – and found a boxing gym.
“I started sparring and I was hooked. Then I got invited to compete and I never looked back,” she said.
She continued to fight professionally before moving to coaching. She managed a gym for a while but decided to pursue opening her own gym. She started by hanging her heavy bag over a basketball hoop at Pratt Park for close to a year, opening her gym in late 2013.
“It’s an honor to run my own gym. It’s been incredibly difficult and incredibly rewarding,” she said. “I don’t have any children, so this is my child and it feels like I’m raising a child.”
More than a decade later, she’s seeing success both in her business and in the community. She trains people of all ages and abilities to box, including the Pacific Northwest’s first female Olympic athlete. She also uses her business as an opportunity to help others in the community. She will give free membership, personal training sessions, or provide food for people in need. The gym was able to get a single mom of five a roadside assistance membership so she wouldn’t have to worry about her car breaking down. Arcaro Turton even drove a gym member to her chemotherapy appointments during the pandemic.
“Because of that powerful connection, we can always provide people with what they need,” she explained. “We really know what’s up, we’re boots on the ground. We can do mutual aid because we know who has funds or resources and we can spread them to other folks. That happens daily here.”
Now that the gym has new equipment, Arcaro Turton is excited to serve even more members of her community.
“To be able to extend that service to my community, I’m living what I should be,” she said. “I’m in my purpose”
Applications for our Tenant Improvement Program are open through Monday, April 13 at 5 p.m. This program offers financial support to small businesses to upgrade their spaces. We have two packages available in 2026: the sign package award of up to $15,000 and the equipment package award of up to $50,000. To date, we awarded 120 businesses with forgivable loans through the TI Program.
Read about the TI Program’s application requirements on our website and apply today.