THUNDER BAY — Members of a locally-owned fitness centre won't have any trouble finding its new location when it moves from its current site at 406 Fort William Road.
After opening its doors there in February 2003, the family-operated PUSH Fitness Centre will temporarily shut down later this month while renovations continue at a new location across the street.
Owner Jenn Bisignano said Nokiiwin Tribal Council, which currently has its headquarters next door, will move into the existing PUSH building, and described the arrangement as good timing for PUSH and an excellent opportunity for Nokiiwin.
"We were fortunate enough that we had access to the building directly across the street from us, which a lot of people may not remember used to be a bus terminal... It's a building that 's designed similarly to this one, and with a few changes, it's going to meet our needs, I think, really well."
There's no firm date yet for reopening at the new site, but clients have been told the intervening down time will be kept as short as possible.
Bisignano said some of the existing gym equipment that doesn't get much use won't make the move across the road.
"We have 82 pieces of cardio upstairs, and it's very rare that you would see even a quarter of that being used at the same time," she noted in an interview. "Basically, it's just a sign of the times that we're not going to need quite as much equipment, versus the sort of open spaces that have become a lot more popular these days."
She issued a social media post on Friday announcing the move.
"Please don't stop moving your body ... This temporary closure is not an excuse to take a break but rather an opportunity to create adventure. When we open our new doors, we can't wait to see you again," she wrote in the post.
Bisignano said the gym's clients have formed "a really strong community of people that have really bonded together in a social way that I just want to be able to keep providing for them."
She added that she had the option of locking the doors and walking away, "but my passion is still burning really, really strongly, and I believe so much in an active, healthy lifestyle that I just really hope I am able to do justice to the community that we've developed here at PUSH."
