With its huge windows and red lighted sign towering above Grand River Avenue, Powerhouse Gym seems to have an advantage over other second-floor businesses.

While the gym has visibility, there are some downfalls to its location.

Owner Scott Schell says accessibility plays a role in the amount of patrons coming in as there is no access on Grand River Avenue. With only one entrance in the back of the building in an alley, it's not visible to people on the streets, Schell said.

"We have to rely on past members or current members telling people where our entrance is and list it on our advertising," he said.

Schell said people don't have any trouble finding the building, but parking also has become a problem. Ninety-six percent of the gym's 1,200 members are students and the other four percent of clients are East Lansing residents, he said.

The facility, which is a tenant of The State News, is one of more than 300 Powerhouse franchises in the country for Powerhouse Gym International, based in Farmington Hills.

Many members just want a local place to work out and will search to find the gym.

"I don't think going twenty steps is going to determine whether a business is successful or not," said Rob Dare, a communications junior and member at Powerhouse Gym. "It's a good location."