Snap Fitness, Perry’s anytime workout center at 1030 26th St., will move in December from its longtime spot in the East Perry Plaza to a new home in the mall at 511 First Ave., site of the old state-owned liquor store.
Cherie Welch of Perry, who has operated Snap Fitness with her husband and fellow Perry native, Shaun Welch, since 2009, said they hope to have the doors open at the new fitness center by the end of December, just in time for New Year’s resolutions.
“We’ll have a new layout and a whole new look,” Welch said, standing at the entrance of the new and larger building.
The new Snap Fitness is “adding a lot more technology,” Welch said, “including a 400-square-foot Fitness on Demand room that will have a large-screen TV and a computer stocked with over 200 workouts, from yoga to cardio to Pilates to just about anything you can think of.”
The remodeling is right on schedule, she said, and the new First Avenue location will make the business “way more visible.”
With some 300 members, Perry’s Snap Fitness is part of a network of workout centers, and members can use whichever Snap Fitness is most convenient.
“New clients will now be able to sign up using a tablet,” Welch said, “and we’re moving to electronic contracts. It’s a big technology shift for Perry’s Snap Fitness.”
But even with all the changes, membership rates will not increase, she said. Members must be at least 16 years old to join. Welch said many of the Perry exercisers are in their 70s, with the fastest-growing group in the 20 to 40 age range.
Evenings between 6-8 p.m. are the club’s busiest hours, she said, but there is also a group of morning regulars.
Healthier lifestyles in Perry are slowly evolving, Welch said, and the change is symbolized by the conversion of the old liquor store at 401 First Ave. into a center for physical fitness.
“There’s so much happening in town right now,” Welch said. “We’re happy to play a part in bringing changes to Perry and new life to the town.”
