Wednesday, December 13, 2000
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Wednesday, December 13, 2000 |
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Gold's Gym changes Fayetteville plans By MONROE
ROARK Folks who take their workouts seriously have no doubt watched with curiosity as announcements and rumors abounded concerning the status of Fayetteville health clubs in recent months. J.D. and Varner Holmes, the owners of two other Gold's Gym locations in Fayette County, announced a couple of months ago that a new location would be coming soon to the old Wal-Mart shopping center in Fayetteville, next to the current Hobby Lobby store. Since that announcement, World Gym has begun moving into the corner of that same building, in the space formerly occupied by Winn Dixie. Gold's Gym was removed from this month's Planning and Zoning Commission agenda, and city officials said Wednesday that the proposal had been withdrawn. But later that same day, it was announced that Gold's Gym had purchased the Impact Fitness club across Ga. Highway 85 from where it had planned to locate. Impact Fitness, next to Big Lots, was previously known as Fayette Family Fitness until earlier this year and was actually a Gold's Gym several years ago. Frequent purchases and name changes are not uncommon in this industry, and Fayette County is no exception. The Gold's Gym on Ga. Highway 54, on the eastern edge of Peachtree City, was formerly Peachtree Fitness before being purchased by the Holmeses. The newest acquisition will now be known as Gold's Gym Fayetteville patrons entering the facility are now greeted by a giant banner encompassing the front desk but the current location is not a permanent one. "Somewhere between the courthouse and the Fayette Pavilion," J.D. Holmes said when asked about the future location. "In a high-traffic area." The move should take place within the next three to six months. Holmes is looking for a space between 25,000 and 30,000 square feet, but finding land and putting up a new building is not out of the question. Even the original plan of moving into the old Wal-Mart location is not completely dead, although World Gym has already nailed down a spot in the other end of the same building. Many shopping centers have multiple restaurants and other kinds of stores, so two fitness centers at the same place is not necessarily a negative, Holmes reasoned. Perhaps the biggest benefit of the Impact Fitness purchase is the acquisition of the membership roll, which numbers more than 1,000. Once the new location is established, making the center a 24-hour facility is under consideration. One of Holmes' two Peachtree City Gold's Gym locations on Ga. Highway 74 operates round the clock, due mainly to the high number of shift workers at the nearby industrial park. "I'm not sure that the membership in Fayetteville will support it," he said. "But we will study it." During the interim, Gold's Gym Fayetteville members will benefit with the addition of new equipment and a brand new look, according to a press statement. "We are going to immediately upgrade the tanning beds and cardiovascular equipment," said new general manager Selina Gaspard. "We are going to make this location sparkle while we're here." Plans for the next location currently include basketball and racquetball courts, an outdoor children's playground and other "extras" in addition to state-of-the-art cardio and resistance training equipment and group fitness programs. The current site offers an extensive strength training area, aerobics, karate and a large selection of cardio equipment. Child care, tanning and other amenities are also available. Planet Smoothie also is situated in the 14,000-sq. ft. fitness center.
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