Ashley Hughey was an employee of Powerhouse Gym when she left for vacation but when she came back last week things weren’t so clear.
Powerhouse Gym, located at 435 E. Grand River Ave., will close its doors Wednesday and transfer all memberships to Atlas Gym, 4790 S. Hagadorn Road, said Rob Gregg, general manager at Atlas Gym. The new gym also will be named Powerhouse, but will remain independently owned and operated at the site currently occupied by Atlas.
“I was kind of shocked,” Hughey said of her reaction to the move.
The supply chain and international business junior said she was unsure if she will be hired back at the new location.
Gregg said they chose to remain at the location that currently houses Atlas due to space concerns.
“This is the larger of the two facilities,” Gregg said. “We had the room to handle the numbers.”
Powerhouse will not be offering refunds, but the new gym will honor the contracts of the nearly 1,800 current Powerhouse members.
“I want to make sure all the kids are taken care of and no kids are getting hurt,” said Henry Dabish, the CEO of Powerhouse Gym International. “We’re trying to preserve our name in the community.”
Gregg said the gym recently purchased eight new treadmills, spending about $50,000 to help absorb the extra members. He said they aren’t worried about overcrowding the new gym.
“Even though we had a lot more members than they did we’ve never had a problem being crowded,” Gregg said. “We don’t anticipate that to be a problem.”
Gregg said rates will not change at the new location, a second-semester membership at the new gym will cost $150 for six months.
Still, some members weren’t too thrilled about the switch.
Marketing senior Jamie Case used to be able to walk to the Powerhouse Gym. Now he will have to drive over to the new location.
“I wasn’t very happy about it, I don’t know anybody who is happy about it,” Case said. “I’ll go, but that’s because it’s my only option.”
Dabish said the owner and manager were working with some students without transportation to see how they could help them in the change.
Jim Salehi, an East Lansing resident and a Powerhouse member, said he went to the Atlas site when it was a Gold’s Gym.
“That was a really dumpy gym,” Salehi said of the former Gold’s Gym. “I haven’t been over (to the new gym) to check it out.”
Despite some downsides, Salehi said parking at the new location is better.
Communication senior Whitney Geller said she lives close to the Grand River location and doesn’t plan on renewing her membership after this semester.
“I don’t have a car,” Geller said. “Now I have to go to IM.”
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Geller said her roommate paid for a whole year and can’t get a refund on her membership.
“I’m lucky I only paid for the semester,” Geller said.
