Mojo Memo
The Streak Continues
At Momentum’s recent holiday party, I posed this question to our employees: “We’ve been in business for almost seven years now – but who is the longest running private health club on the West Shore?” After a few moments of silent reflection, someone from the back of the dining room shouted “We are! ” If you agree with this, you are correct. It is amazing that in less than seven years this area has experienced such a turnover that Momentum is now the centerpiece of stability – the holder of the “business streak!”
Consider the following:
- Gold’s Gym at the Camp Hill Mall dropped their Gold’s affiliation and became Revolution Health Club, then closed and reopened as Gold’s Gym again with new owners across from the Capital City Mall
- LA Fitness, a huge national chain, is a newcomer to the area, moving into the Camp Hill Mall in 2006 with a brand new, stand-alone facility
- The West Shore Health Club recently closed and re-opened as a Planet Fitness franchise in the Hampden Plaza
- Slim Time Spa closed its doors on April 30, 2007, but not before we were able offer their continuing members a new home here at Momentum
- Contours Express in Mechanicsburg also closed; at the time they had about 150 female members
- And who can forget the Alpha Raquetball and Fitness Club, once a major player when we first opened in 2001, but now just a tag on somebody’s old gym bag
- Woody’s Workout became C5 and then reopened as the Annex a block away from Gold’s Gym, its new owner
- New Curves for Women are springing up everywhere – down the street on the Carlisle Pike; in Enola; in Dillsburg, and probably other locations in our area that I’m not even aware of
- There’s another Planet Fitness that opened in Dillsburg
- Only the tax-free YMCA, funded by your United Way dollars, has been here longer than us, and has recently completed a huge renovation to serve the all those poor needy kids in Camp Hill (isn’t that the reason for their tax-free status?). I sincerely hope that it is not a statement on our industry that without charitable contributions resulting in tax-free revenue, fitness clubs are doomed to a short life span. Make no mistake – this is a tough, competitive business, but it should not have its survival dependent on charity and your tax dollars. YMCA’s and Community Centers have their place – but not as private health clubs.