July 24, 2024 • 22 mins
My grandmother, who was born in 1905, lived at home until the end of her life at 95, but she was always afraid her children would send her to an old folks home, as she called it.
Nowadays, things have changed so much we might even need a new vocabulary to discuss communities for older people.
But whatever we call them, they’re offering a more attractive environment for people to live later in life, with individual homes, nice amenities, and lots of fitness and recreation activities.
What’s it like at one of these communities? Do they seem appealing to you? Well, that’s what we’re looking at today on Optimal Aging, the show about fitness, health and wellbeing for people over 50. Each week we explore what healthy living means for millions of people in this lucrative yet underserved market, with a focus on communications, content and making powerful connections. I’m your host Jay Croft of Prime Fit Content, which helps connect businesses with people over 50.
My guest today is Sara Carbonell, director of marketing at Amblebrook at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. Amblebrook solves the “what do you call it” problem directly and simply: 55+ active adult living. It touts amenities like a pool and fitness center to social spaces, with lots of activities, including tons of exercise opportunities. Prices start in the 300 thousands and residences include single-family homes and villas that share a common wall.
It couldn’t be more different from my grandmother’s nightmares.
Online Resources
Amblebrook Gettysburg
Prime Fit Content – Engage the over-50 market
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
My grandmother, who was born in 1905, lived at home
until the end of her life at age95.
But she was always afraid thather children would send her to
an old folks home, as she calledit.
She wasn't just afraid she wasterrified of it.
And I guess you can see why,given the state of retirement
(00:22):
homes 100 years ago, right,given the state of retirement
homes 100 years ago, right.
But nowadays things havechanged so much that we might
even need a new vocabulary todiscuss senior living.
Or is it retirement lifestylesor active aging communities?
I don't know, but whatever wecall them, they're offering a
(00:42):
more attractive environment forpeople to live in later in life,
with individual homes, niceamenities, lots of fitness and
recreation facilities andactivities, and like so much
about aging in America, thissegment of the economy is
booming with options aimed atthe baby boomer plus segment,
(01:03):
which has money to spend anddoesn't want to sit idly by in
their later years and decades.
What's it like at one of thesecommunities?
Do they seem appealing to you?
Well, that's what we're lookingat today on Optimal Aging the
show about fitness, health andwell-being for people over 50.
Each week, we explore whathealthy living means for
(01:25):
millions of people in thislucrative yet underserved market
, with a focus on communications, content and making powerful
connections.
I'm your host, jay Croft ofPrime Fit Content.
My guest today is SarahCarbonell, director of Marketing
at Amblebrook at Gettysburg inPennsylvania.
(01:45):
Amblebrook solves thewhat-do-you-call-it problem
directly and simply.
They say 55-plus active adultliving.
I love it.
Amblebrook touts amenities likea pool and fitness center,
social spaces, lots ofactivities, tons of exercise
opportunities.
Prices start in the $300,000and go up, up up, and residences
(02:12):
include single-family homes andvillas that share a common wall
.
In short, it looks pretty niceand it couldn't be more
different from my grandmother'snightmares.
It also might be representativeof what we're seeing more and
more of now and we'll be seeingmore and more of in the near
(02:33):
future.
So let's dive in and learn more.
Here's my conversation withSarah.
All right, sarah, hello.
Thanks for joining me today.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Pleasure to meet you too.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
All right, I am so excited to learn about
Amblebrook because ever sinceI've been doing the podcast,
I've wanted to have someone onto talk about innovations and
current status of this gosh.
I don't even know what we'resupposed to call it.
Senior living isn't right andretirement homes aren't right,
and I'm going to ask you to setthe table on all of this, and
maybe even starting with how dowe say this in language that is
(03:07):
appropriate for today's market?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Sure, we at Crown Community Development the way
that we've positioned ourcommunity is really for the
active adult, and so, inparticular, we offer a resort
style living which really doesturn the tables on the
retirement community.
Right, when you think aboutretirement communities of the
past or senior living, it was aplace where you would go and
maybe develop connections withpeople, but the amenities were
(03:38):
very sparse and maybe they werefocused on playing cards and
things like that.
We developed this communitywith that buyer in mind, where,
through research, we'veunderstood that this is the time
in this buyer's life where it'sthe most unencumbered time of
(03:58):
their lives.
Right, our buyers here arereally focused on establishing
new hobbies and honestly tryingto live longer, and so they're
doing whatever it takes whenthey want to be in a place that
encourages that.
And so we at Crown weunderstood that and we refer to
that buyer profile as veryactive.
(04:19):
We don't even talk aboutretirement.
It's not a word that we use inour branding, we don't talk
about it in any of our marketingor advertising, because it's
not about that.
It's really about how can youlive well longer, and really
it's find the fountain of youthyou can find it here, type of
thing.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Living well longer, not just living longer.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
That's right, you got it.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
That's yeah, it's really important and that's
something we talk about a lot onthis podcast and in my content
with gyms.
Trying to appeal to olderpeople who want to stay fit and
active is we don't all just wantto live to be 100 if we can't
get out of bed.
We want to stay active and liveour vital best lives for as
long as possible, and I lovewhat you're doing to overcome
(05:02):
the stereotypes of previousgenerations' ideas about what
are the options going to be.
For me when I'm older,resort-style living sounds a lot
nicer than old folks' home orsomething like that, and I love
the way you focused in on themodern boomer.
When I started Prime Fitcontent a few years ago,
everyone said oh, that's great,you're talking about the baby
boomers, and I was very quick tosay no, I'm not talking about
(05:24):
the baby boomers.
I'm talking about people 50 andover.
Some of them are baby boomers,some of them are not.
Tell me about that distinctionfor you at Amble Brook.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Our average age is around 62.
And being that it's anage-restricted community that
starts at 55, that's reallyskewing on the younger side
right.
It doesn't mean that we don'thave and I know her or that we
don't have an 80 year old who isexceptionally active and she's
(05:55):
involved in all of the fitnessclasses.
And she you would think she's60, but she's 80.
Our buyer here is looking forconnection.
They're looking to get involvedin all kinds of activities and
a lot of them are fitness andwellness focused and our
programming supports that and wealso, because we recognize that
(06:15):
this buyer wants that we alsobring in and partner with the
outside entities.
For example, we partner withWellSpan Health and they have a
space within our fitness center.
They provide physical therapy.
They also have done massage.
They'll consult with residentshere about any health concerns
(06:38):
and they're also doing some new.
It's a blend between personaltraining but also like
preventative care, so focusingon balance so that you don't get
injured and you don't get hurt.
That's where our buyer is.
They want the connection, theywant the activities, they want
to stay busy.
This buyer here is looking forhas a new lease on life, was
(07:01):
looking to grow younger, and sothey're incorporating all of
those types of things, whetherit's fitness and wellness, to
also activities that challengeyou mentally and then also
socially too.
We have programs where we bringin somebody focused on a
certain topic, like a TED Talk,and we encourage people to
(07:25):
attend that, and then whathappens from there is these
residents enjoy that so muchthat they raise their hands and
say, hey, I'm an expert on thisor I want to talk about this.
And so the programming startsto build within itself.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
You've modeled some of this on the blue zones, which
is like a favorite topic ofmine.
I want to get to all that, butbefore we do give us the nuts
and bolts about, am I renting anapartment building?
Am I buying a standalone house?
Is there a gym on the property?
Like, just give me this setupof what we're talking about with
Amble Brook.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Absolutely.
Amble Brook is a 55 plus resortstyle community in the heart of
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
We will have around 2000 homesat the completion of this, over
50,000 square feet of indooramenities which we built up
front.
So we have a welcome centerthat is about 7,000 square feet,
(08:18):
which has a onsite cafe andmarket which allows for
residents to come and grab a cupof coffee or a snack or
breakfast and lunch, but also toshop locally.
We bring in outside vendors andfeature them here so it gives
them a kind of a taste ofGettysburg, especially if they
don't know Gettysburg.
So we try to give them a flavorfor that.
And we also have a clubhousethat is around 27,000 square
(08:42):
feet and we've got an exhibitioninteractive kitchen which is
excellent.
It's like a sur la table whereyou can be as active or passive
as you'd like.
We frequently bring in chefs toshowcase a meal and you can
cook alongside that chef or youcan learn some knife skills and
things like that.
We can actually stream that too.
(09:02):
So if you wanted to join fromthe comfort of your home, you
could.
In that space we also have acanvas studio which is all for
arts.
We've got all kinds of artswithin that space, so painting
pottery, we have an on-site kilnin that room, which is really
neat.
We have a theater, a smalltheater, on site as well and
(09:23):
that's where we host kind oflunch and learns or TED talks.
We even we can show Superbowl,for example, or a movie for the
grandkids, while thegrandparents are in the kitchen
right next door having like awine and cheese get together.
It's really nice.
We also have a game room, theIndigo room, focused on all
kinds of games, from pinnacle tomahjong, to poker to Scrabble,
(09:45):
all kinds of things.
It's outfitted with all kindsof games and that room is very
busy.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
So it sounds like more subdivision where I buy an
individual home and I live in asubdivision, rather than a place
where you might rent a room orrent a condo or something.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
We've got five builders here and they build
single family homes and villahomes and, yep, you as a
resident, you come into thecommunity and you not only do
you get this amazing lifestylecomponent, but you also would
then purchase a home, and all ofthe builders offer a lot of a
variety of product here.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Give me a little information on who your key
customer is, who are, as far asI don't know, age you mentioned
that your average is 62, but Ithink we're probably talking
about a certain income level ora certain level of economic
ability here, right, which goes.
The reason I'm asking isbecause that goes a lot to
fitness too.
People say I don't want oldpeople, they don't have any
(10:42):
money, and I'm like you're notpaying attention, because older
people have the money and theywant to spend it with you.
If you would just provide thema good service.
So tell me a little bit aboutwho this is for and who you're
marketing to.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Sure.
So we have our buyer is reallypretty affluent and they're very
well educated.
They're mostly they represent.
Many of them are coming fromthe mid-Atlantic area.
The majority are coming fromMaryland and Virginia, northern
Virginia.
We have some from Pennsylvania.
Of course, we're starting tosee some from New York and then
(11:18):
it's starting to.
It has, over the course of theyears, spread down the coast,
north Carolina all the way toFlorida.
We even have somebody that'scome here from Alaska.
They're coming from a, let'ssay, like a $700,000 home and
they're they're using that.
And many of them are cashbuyers and if they do any type
of financing, they're financinga portion of it to accommodate
(11:41):
the fact that they want the loft, for example, in their home, or
maybe they want some additionaloptions.
They love entertaining, so theyalways, many of them, will add
some sort of patio or outdoorliving, outdoor fireplace to
their home.
We've got some homes that havehit a million dollars and they
might be coming from amillion-dollar home or they're
going to a million-dollar home.
(12:02):
It's more.
They want what they want.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
They're very affluent they are not looking to
necessarily scale back Now.
Are there services providedlike lawn care and house
maintenance, and is there amedical facility on the property
?
And like why would I want toleave my home and move there to
Pennsylvania just for a nicehouse?
(12:25):
What else is the motivation foryour customers?
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Well, I think the main motivation is the lifestyle
, and the amenities that we haveare second to none.
I mentioned that clubhouse andwe I went I was going through
some of the rooms but we alsohave a fitness center that's
almost equivalent in size, witha state-of-the-art strength and
cardio room, a four lane 25 yardlap pool, movement studio and
an outdoor resort pool.
(12:49):
We've got walking trails, dogpark, we're building a community
garden and then miles, like Isaid, miles of walking trails
actually.
But it really starts with thelifestyle.
In addition to that, it islow-maintenance living.
So, for the HOA fee that theypay, which is $315 a month,
which is a steal, especially inthis kind of surrounding area
(13:10):
you get lawn care and then alsosnow removal.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
How does Amble Book fit into the bigger picture?
Is this a part of a trend?
Are there other businessesbuilding similar communities?
Are you at the cutting edge?
What I'm trying to get at ispeople listening to this might
be intrigued to know more aboutwhat else is out there.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
The most familiar brand is Del Webb with their Sun
Cities which they started 20plus years ago.
They were the pioneers reallyin this kind of space.
But as time has gone by and theinterest of these buyers has
really changed and you thinkabout the blue zones and what
(13:53):
people want and how to reallylive longer, the amenities and
then the facilities need tosupport that.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
Why do you think recreation and fitness and
wellness, the whole thing in thebroader picture?
It's just fascinating howeverything's changed that 40 or
50 years ago, being 50 or 60years old, your life was over
and just sit there and waitright it's not where we are now.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
No, it's not.
Well, the fitness industry isclearly at the forefront.
Really this type of just theworld right now.
Right, everybody wants to livelonger and it's really for us.
We try to support that, andnobody wants what was happening
years ago.
(14:37):
Right, nobody wants to be gooff to the old folks home.
And it's you have a whole secondhalf of life to live right.
And so I feel like the fitnessindustry really saw that and
said what can we do to encouragethat?
And so they come out with a lotof different types of machines
and programs and things to showhow you can get fit now at 50 or
(14:59):
60, and this is what you can do.
And then it just kind of itmorphs into all kinds of things,
even consumer products.
And if you think about theother consumer products, from
clothing to makeup and thingslike that, everybody is trying
to push age off, and so why not?
Why don't we support that inhow we develop our communities
(15:20):
too?
Because that is allencompassing right, that is your
every day.
It hits all aspects and if youcan, if you can facilitate that
on a daily basis, not just in aproduct or not just in a service
, but just holistically, itbecomes very attractive, yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Yeah, it does.
My mother died last year at 87and she's lived at home until
she passed, and but we didn'tknow, of course, if she could
have lived a lot longer.
We looked around and there wasa Dell web near her and she was
not interested in that forvarious reasons, which I totally
understand.
She's 87.
(15:59):
I'm 60.
I can see myself and people inmy age group and my generation
thinking, heck, yeah, I want tolive where there's a golf course
and tennis courts and arestaurant and somebody to mow
the lawn.
Sign me up.
It's a whole different way oflooking at optimal aging, isn't
it?
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Yeah, it is, and we find sometimes we've seen when
folks come in to visit thecommunity they oftentimes will
bring their grown children.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Yeah, sure.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Because they one.
They're maybe moving closer tothat grown child and
grandchildren, but it'simportant to them, their opinion
is important to them and it'sinteresting because you see,
maybe like a30-something-year-old or
40-something-year-old goingaround with their mother or
father and they find a communitylike this attractive too and
(16:49):
they want.
How about me?
There's a bar here in theclubhouse.
I have my onsite fitness center.
I don't have to pay amembership fee to here and there
and yeah, it is reallyattractive.
And it'd be great if we hadmore communities like this for
all age groups.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
That's there.
That would be fun.
So tell me about the Blue Zones.
I really am intrigued by thisidea.
I'm fascinated by the wholeBlue Zones thing with the book.
I don't know if you saw theNetflix series, but it was
really.
It was excellent it was.
Beautifully photographed and puttogether and it all makes such
sense.
You just want to say why aren'twe all living like that?
So how did you all incorporatethe Blue Zones and I guess we
(17:30):
should say a little bit aboutwhat the Blue Zones model is,
but tell us that and how youworked that into developing
Ambleport.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Yeah, the Blue Zones were our regions where people
are experiencing higherlongevity throughout the world,
and I believe there's nineelements of the Blue Zones.
And then we, of course, tookresident surveys.
But when it comes to the bluezones, we have looked at all of
(18:08):
those elements and we plan ourprogramming accordingly.
There's one blue zone right thattalks about it's actually
interesting about wine, rightthe importance of wine and not
going crazy on drinking, butmaybe a glass of wine, and how
that encourages socialconnection and the benefits
behind a glass of red wine, forexample.
(18:28):
So we take that and we say howcan we incorporate that into the
activities and programming thatwe offer here for our residents
?
We have this resident bar andlounge and we have a beverage
locker and we'll bring inproviders right where they can
serve a happy hour, one one daya week or something like that.
And then when it comes tothere's another zone that talks
(18:49):
about movement.
Movement is so important.
You don't want to be sedentary.
We set up programming thatsupports that.
We've done a five K's throughoutour community.
We've done a heart walk.
We also we have regular classesgoing on from yoga class to
Zumba, to a sound and a soundtheory class too, which is
(19:09):
interesting.
You think about socialconnection.
All of these things encouragesocial connection.
It's inherent in everythingthat you're doing.
But we also take it and say,okay, what other activities can
we encourage?
How do we accomplish that?
Maybe it's through art, maybeit's through a lecture series.
We have a karaoke room.
Maybe it's through karaoke.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
The Blue Zones concept really gets to the idea
of I want to have a long life,but only as long as I'm having a
good life.
So, looking to the crystal balla little bit, what's the future
look like for Amblebrook andfor Crown, as far as doing this
elsewhere and taking this on theroad?
Speaker 2 (19:48):
a little bit.
We're always looking to expandour footprint.
We have found really greatsuccess with Amblebrook and
we've learned a lot too.
From the beginning when weopened in 2019 to now, we've
really increased and improvedwhat we offer and our position
in the marketplace, so we reallywould love to do this again
(20:09):
somewhere else.
We're just actively looking forthe next Amblebrook, the next
town that has kind of everythingthat we found here in
Gettysburg and that's also partof why we chose here is a lot of
research goes into communitieslike this, but a connection to
an area.
(20:29):
The area has to have some sortof culture, and Gettysburg has
culture and history.
You can go overseas and sayGettysburg, pennsylvania, and
people know it right, and sowe're actively looking for the
next Amble Brook where not onlycan we encourage awesome
programming within the community, but that the area supports the
(20:51):
same type of amenities, whetherit's hiking and biking outside,
or historical influence ortheater.
Those are core components tothe piece of land that we would
find and want to build on.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
I'm really excited about what you and others are
doing in this space because itjust makes sense.
That's what got me into writingabout Fitness Over 50.
And it mirrors a lot of theexciting activity I'm seeing
from gyms and trainers out therewho are very smartly tuning
into this lucrative andunderserved market of people
(21:28):
over 50 who want to live longand well.
If people want to learn more,they can go to
amblebrookgettysburgcom, andI'll put that link in the show
notes as well.
So thank you.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
You're welcome, thank you.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Thank you for listening to Optimal Aging.
I hope you enjoyed it and Ihope you'll subscribe, tell a
friend and write a review.
All of that helps me grow myaudience.
You can learn more about me andmy content business at
primefitcontentcom.
You can send me an email at jayat primefitcontentcom.
(22:02):
That's jay.
Jay at primefitcontentcom.
That's jay j-a-y atprimefitcontentcom.
I'm also on Facebook, linkedinand Instagram so you can find me
anywhere you like and be intouch.
And again, thanks for listening.
Join me next time.
My grandmother, who was born in 1905, lived at home
until the end of her life at age95.
But she was always afraid thather children would send her to
an old folks home, as she calledit.
She wasn't just afraid she wasterrified of it.
And I guess you can see why,given the state of retirement
(00:22):
homes 100 years ago, right,given the state of retirement
homes 100 years ago, right.
But nowadays things havechanged so much that we might
even need a new vocabulary todiscuss senior living.
Or is it retirement lifestylesor active aging communities?
I don't know, but whatever wecall them, they're offering a
(00:42):
more attractive environment forpeople to live in later in life,
with individual homes, niceamenities, lots of fitness and
recreation facilities andactivities, and like so much
about aging in America, thissegment of the economy is
booming with options aimed atthe baby boomer plus segment,
(01:03):
which has money to spend anddoesn't want to sit idly by in
their later years and decades.
What's it like at one of thesecommunities?
Do they seem appealing to you?
Well, that's what we're lookingat today on Optimal Aging the
show about fitness, health andwell-being for people over 50.
Each week, we explore whathealthy living means for
(01:25):
millions of people in thislucrative yet underserved market
, with a focus on communications, content and making powerful
connections.
I'm your host, jay Croft ofPrime Fit Content.
My guest today is SarahCarbonell, director of Marketing
at Amblebrook at Gettysburg inPennsylvania.
(01:45):
Amblebrook solves thewhat-do-you-call-it problem
directly and simply.
They say 55-plus active adultliving.
I love it.
Amblebrook touts amenities likea pool and fitness center,
social spaces, lots ofactivities, tons of exercise
opportunities.
Prices start in the $300,000and go up, up up, and residences
(02:12):
include single-family homes andvillas that share a common wall
.
In short, it looks pretty niceand it couldn't be more
different from my grandmother'snightmares.
It also might be representativeof what we're seeing more and
more of now and we'll be seeingmore and more of in the near
(02:33):
future.
So let's dive in and learn more.
Here's my conversation withSarah.
All right, sarah, hello.
Thanks for joining me today.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Pleasure to meet you too.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
All right, I am so excited to learn about
Amblebrook because ever sinceI've been doing the podcast,
I've wanted to have someone onto talk about innovations and
current status of this gosh.
I don't even know what we'resupposed to call it.
Senior living isn't right andretirement homes aren't right,
and I'm going to ask you to setthe table on all of this, and
maybe even starting with how dowe say this in language that is
(03:07):
appropriate for today's market?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Sure, we at Crown Community Development the way
that we've positioned ourcommunity is really for the
active adult, and so, inparticular, we offer a resort
style living which really doesturn the tables on the
retirement community.
Right, when you think aboutretirement communities of the
past or senior living, it was aplace where you would go and
maybe develop connections withpeople, but the amenities were
(03:38):
very sparse and maybe they werefocused on playing cards and
things like that.
We developed this communitywith that buyer in mind, where,
through research, we'veunderstood that this is the time
in this buyer's life where it'sthe most unencumbered time of
(03:58):
their lives.
Right, our buyers here arereally focused on establishing
new hobbies and honestly tryingto live longer, and so they're
doing whatever it takes whenthey want to be in a place that
encourages that.
And so we at Crown weunderstood that and we refer to
that buyer profile as veryactive.
(04:19):
We don't even talk aboutretirement.
It's not a word that we use inour branding, we don't talk
about it in any of our marketingor advertising, because it's
not about that.
It's really about how can youlive well longer, and really
it's find the fountain of youthyou can find it here, type of
thing.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Living well longer, not just living longer.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
That's right, you got it.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
That's yeah, it's really important and that's
something we talk about a lot onthis podcast and in my content
with gyms.
Trying to appeal to olderpeople who want to stay fit and
active is we don't all just wantto live to be 100 if we can't
get out of bed.
We want to stay active and liveour vital best lives for as
long as possible, and I lovewhat you're doing to overcome
(05:02):
the stereotypes of previousgenerations' ideas about what
are the options going to be.
For me when I'm older,resort-style living sounds a lot
nicer than old folks' home orsomething like that, and I love
the way you focused in on themodern boomer.
When I started Prime Fitcontent a few years ago,
everyone said oh, that's great,you're talking about the baby
boomers, and I was very quick tosay no, I'm not talking about
(05:24):
the baby boomers.
I'm talking about people 50 andover.
Some of them are baby boomers,some of them are not.
Tell me about that distinctionfor you at Amble Brook.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Our average age is around 62.
And being that it's anage-restricted community that
starts at 55, that's reallyskewing on the younger side
right.
It doesn't mean that we don'thave and I know her or that we
don't have an 80 year old who isexceptionally active and she's
(05:55):
involved in all of the fitnessclasses.
And she you would think she's60, but she's 80.
Our buyer here is looking forconnection.
They're looking to get involvedin all kinds of activities and
a lot of them are fitness andwellness focused and our
programming supports that and wealso, because we recognize that
(06:15):
this buyer wants that we alsobring in and partner with the
outside entities.
For example, we partner withWellSpan Health and they have a
space within our fitness center.
They provide physical therapy.
They also have done massage.
They'll consult with residentshere about any health concerns
(06:38):
and they're also doing some new.
It's a blend between personaltraining but also like
preventative care, so focusingon balance so that you don't get
injured and you don't get hurt.
That's where our buyer is.
They want the connection, theywant the activities, they want
to stay busy.
This buyer here is looking forhas a new lease on life, was
(07:01):
looking to grow younger, and sothey're incorporating all of
those types of things, whetherit's fitness and wellness, to
also activities that challengeyou mentally and then also
socially too.
We have programs where we bringin somebody focused on a
certain topic, like a TED Talk,and we encourage people to
(07:25):
attend that, and then whathappens from there is these
residents enjoy that so muchthat they raise their hands and
say, hey, I'm an expert on thisor I want to talk about this.
And so the programming startsto build within itself.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
You've modeled some of this on the blue zones, which
is like a favorite topic ofmine.
I want to get to all that, butbefore we do give us the nuts
and bolts about, am I renting anapartment building?
Am I buying a standalone house?
Is there a gym on the property?
Like, just give me this setupof what we're talking about with
Amble Brook.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Absolutely.
Amble Brook is a 55 plus resortstyle community in the heart of
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
We will have around 2000 homesat the completion of this, over
50,000 square feet of indooramenities which we built up
front.
So we have a welcome centerthat is about 7,000 square feet,
(08:18):
which has a onsite cafe andmarket which allows for
residents to come and grab a cupof coffee or a snack or
breakfast and lunch, but also toshop locally.
We bring in outside vendors andfeature them here so it gives
them a kind of a taste ofGettysburg, especially if they
don't know Gettysburg.
So we try to give them a flavorfor that.
And we also have a clubhousethat is around 27,000 square
(08:42):
feet and we've got an exhibitioninteractive kitchen which is
excellent.
It's like a sur la table whereyou can be as active or passive
as you'd like.
We frequently bring in chefs toshowcase a meal and you can
cook alongside that chef or youcan learn some knife skills and
things like that.
We can actually stream that too.
(09:02):
So if you wanted to join fromthe comfort of your home, you
could.
In that space we also have acanvas studio which is all for
arts.
We've got all kinds of artswithin that space, so painting
pottery, we have an on-site kilnin that room, which is really
neat.
We have a theater, a smalltheater, on site as well and
(09:23):
that's where we host kind oflunch and learns or TED talks.
We even we can show Superbowl,for example, or a movie for the
grandkids, while thegrandparents are in the kitchen
right next door having like awine and cheese get together.
It's really nice.
We also have a game room, theIndigo room, focused on all
kinds of games, from pinnacle tomahjong, to poker to Scrabble,
(09:45):
all kinds of things.
It's outfitted with all kindsof games and that room is very
busy.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
So it sounds like more subdivision where I buy an
individual home and I live in asubdivision, rather than a place
where you might rent a room orrent a condo or something.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
We've got five builders here and they build
single family homes and villahomes and, yep, you as a
resident, you come into thecommunity and you not only do
you get this amazing lifestylecomponent, but you also would
then purchase a home, and all ofthe builders offer a lot of a
variety of product here.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Give me a little information on who your key
customer is, who are, as far asI don't know, age you mentioned
that your average is 62, but Ithink we're probably talking
about a certain income level ora certain level of economic
ability here, right, which goes.
The reason I'm asking isbecause that goes a lot to
fitness too.
People say I don't want oldpeople, they don't have any
(10:42):
money, and I'm like you're notpaying attention, because older
people have the money and theywant to spend it with you.
If you would just provide thema good service.
So tell me a little bit aboutwho this is for and who you're
marketing to.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Sure.
So we have our buyer is reallypretty affluent and they're very
well educated.
They're mostly they represent.
Many of them are coming fromthe mid-Atlantic area.
The majority are coming fromMaryland and Virginia, northern
Virginia.
We have some from Pennsylvania.
Of course, we're starting tosee some from New York and then
(11:18):
it's starting to.
It has, over the course of theyears, spread down the coast,
north Carolina all the way toFlorida.
We even have somebody that'scome here from Alaska.
They're coming from a, let'ssay, like a $700,000 home and
they're they're using that.
And many of them are cashbuyers and if they do any type
of financing, they're financinga portion of it to accommodate
(11:41):
the fact that they want the loft, for example, in their home, or
maybe they want some additionaloptions.
They love entertaining, so theyalways, many of them, will add
some sort of patio or outdoorliving, outdoor fireplace to
their home.
We've got some homes that havehit a million dollars and they
might be coming from amillion-dollar home or they're
going to a million-dollar home.
(12:02):
It's more.
They want what they want.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
They're very affluent they are not looking to
necessarily scale back Now.
Are there services providedlike lawn care and house
maintenance, and is there amedical facility on the property
?
And like why would I want toleave my home and move there to
Pennsylvania just for a nicehouse?
(12:25):
What else is the motivation foryour customers?
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Well, I think the main motivation is the lifestyle
, and the amenities that we haveare second to none.
I mentioned that clubhouse andwe I went I was going through
some of the rooms but we alsohave a fitness center that's
almost equivalent in size, witha state-of-the-art strength and
cardio room, a four lane 25 yardlap pool, movement studio and
an outdoor resort pool.
(12:49):
We've got walking trails, dogpark, we're building a community
garden and then miles, like Isaid, miles of walking trails
actually.
But it really starts with thelifestyle.
In addition to that, it islow-maintenance living.
So, for the HOA fee that theypay, which is $315 a month,
which is a steal, especially inthis kind of surrounding area
(13:10):
you get lawn care and then alsosnow removal.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
How does Amble Book fit into the bigger picture?
Is this a part of a trend?
Are there other businessesbuilding similar communities?
Are you at the cutting edge?
What I'm trying to get at ispeople listening to this might
be intrigued to know more aboutwhat else is out there.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
The most familiar brand is Del Webb with their Sun
Cities which they started 20plus years ago.
They were the pioneers reallyin this kind of space.
But as time has gone by and theinterest of these buyers has
really changed and you thinkabout the blue zones and what
(13:53):
people want and how to reallylive longer, the amenities and
then the facilities need tosupport that.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
Why do you think recreation and fitness and
wellness, the whole thing in thebroader picture?
It's just fascinating howeverything's changed that 40 or
50 years ago, being 50 or 60years old, your life was over
and just sit there and waitright it's not where we are now.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
No, it's not.
Well, the fitness industry isclearly at the forefront.
Really this type of just theworld right now.
Right, everybody wants to livelonger and it's really for us.
We try to support that, andnobody wants what was happening
years ago.
(14:37):
Right, nobody wants to be gooff to the old folks home.
And it's you have a whole secondhalf of life to live right.
And so I feel like the fitnessindustry really saw that and
said what can we do to encouragethat?
And so they come out with a lotof different types of machines
and programs and things to showhow you can get fit now at 50 or
(14:59):
60, and this is what you can do.
And then it just kind of itmorphs into all kinds of things,
even consumer products.
And if you think about theother consumer products, from
clothing to makeup and thingslike that, everybody is trying
to push age off, and so why not?
Why don't we support that inhow we develop our communities
(15:20):
too?
Because that is allencompassing right, that is your
every day.
It hits all aspects and if youcan, if you can facilitate that
on a daily basis, not just in aproduct or not just in a service
, but just holistically, itbecomes very attractive, yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Yeah, it does.
My mother died last year at 87and she's lived at home until
she passed, and but we didn'tknow, of course, if she could
have lived a lot longer.
We looked around and there wasa Dell web near her and she was
not interested in that forvarious reasons, which I totally
understand.
She's 87.
(15:59):
I'm 60.
I can see myself and people inmy age group and my generation
thinking, heck, yeah, I want tolive where there's a golf course
and tennis courts and arestaurant and somebody to mow
the lawn.
Sign me up.
It's a whole different way oflooking at optimal aging, isn't
it?
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Yeah, it is, and we find sometimes we've seen when
folks come in to visit thecommunity they oftentimes will
bring their grown children.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Yeah, sure.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Because they one.
They're maybe moving closer tothat grown child and
grandchildren, but it'simportant to them, their opinion
is important to them and it'sinteresting because you see,
maybe like a30-something-year-old or
40-something-year-old goingaround with their mother or
father and they find a communitylike this attractive too and
(16:49):
they want.
How about me?
There's a bar here in theclubhouse.
I have my onsite fitness center.
I don't have to pay amembership fee to here and there
and yeah, it is reallyattractive.
And it'd be great if we hadmore communities like this for
all age groups.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
That's there.
That would be fun.
So tell me about the Blue Zones.
I really am intrigued by thisidea.
I'm fascinated by the wholeBlue Zones thing with the book.
I don't know if you saw theNetflix series, but it was
really.
It was excellent it was.
Beautifully photographed and puttogether and it all makes such
sense.
You just want to say why aren'twe all living like that?
So how did you all incorporatethe Blue Zones and I guess we
(17:30):
should say a little bit aboutwhat the Blue Zones model is,
but tell us that and how youworked that into developing
Ambleport.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Yeah, the Blue Zones were our regions where people
are experiencing higherlongevity throughout the world,
and I believe there's nineelements of the Blue Zones.
And then we, of course, tookresident surveys.
But when it comes to the bluezones, we have looked at all of
(18:08):
those elements and we plan ourprogramming accordingly.
There's one blue zone right thattalks about it's actually
interesting about wine, rightthe importance of wine and not
going crazy on drinking, butmaybe a glass of wine, and how
that encourages socialconnection and the benefits
behind a glass of red wine, forexample.
(18:28):
So we take that and we say howcan we incorporate that into the
activities and programming thatwe offer here for our residents
?
We have this resident bar andlounge and we have a beverage
locker and we'll bring inproviders right where they can
serve a happy hour, one one daya week or something like that.
And then when it comes tothere's another zone that talks
(18:49):
about movement.
Movement is so important.
You don't want to be sedentary.
We set up programming thatsupports that.
We've done a five K's throughoutour community.
We've done a heart walk.
We also we have regular classesgoing on from yoga class to
Zumba, to a sound and a soundtheory class too, which is
(19:09):
interesting.
You think about socialconnection.
All of these things encouragesocial connection.
It's inherent in everythingthat you're doing.
But we also take it and say,okay, what other activities can
we encourage?
How do we accomplish that?
Maybe it's through art, maybeit's through a lecture series.
We have a karaoke room.
Maybe it's through karaoke.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
The Blue Zones concept really gets to the idea
of I want to have a long life,but only as long as I'm having a
good life.
So, looking to the crystal balla little bit, what's the future
look like for Amblebrook andfor Crown, as far as doing this
elsewhere and taking this on theroad?
Speaker 2 (19:48):
a little bit.
We're always looking to expandour footprint.
We have found really greatsuccess with Amblebrook and
we've learned a lot too.
From the beginning when weopened in 2019 to now, we've
really increased and improvedwhat we offer and our position
in the marketplace, so we reallywould love to do this again
(20:09):
somewhere else.
We're just actively looking forthe next Amblebrook, the next
town that has kind of everythingthat we found here in
Gettysburg and that's also partof why we chose here is a lot of
research goes into communitieslike this, but a connection to
an area.
(20:29):
The area has to have some sortof culture, and Gettysburg has
culture and history.
You can go overseas and sayGettysburg, pennsylvania, and
people know it right, and sowe're actively looking for the
next Amble Brook where not onlycan we encourage awesome
programming within the community, but that the area supports the
(20:51):
same type of amenities, whetherit's hiking and biking outside,
or historical influence ortheater.
Those are core components tothe piece of land that we would
find and want to build on.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
I'm really excited about what you and others are
doing in this space because itjust makes sense.
That's what got me into writingabout Fitness Over 50.
And it mirrors a lot of theexciting activity I'm seeing
from gyms and trainers out therewho are very smartly tuning
into this lucrative andunderserved market of people
(21:28):
over 50 who want to live longand well.
If people want to learn more,they can go to
amblebrookgettysburgcom, andI'll put that link in the show
notes as well.
So thank you.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
You're welcome, thank you.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Thank you for listening to Optimal Aging.
I hope you enjoyed it and Ihope you'll subscribe, tell a
friend and write a review.
All of that helps me grow myaudience.
You can learn more about me andmy content business at
primefitcontentcom.
You can send me an email at jayat primefitcontentcom.
(22:02):
That's jay.
Jay at primefitcontentcom.
That's jay j-a-y atprimefitcontentcom.
I'm also on Facebook, linkedinand Instagram so you can find me
anywhere you like and be intouch.
And again, thanks for listening.
Join me next time.
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