Club Owners Find A Good Fit In Gym

The local owners of the new Underground Fitness club in the Glenbrook Shopping Center in Stamford said they hope to lure the New Year's resolution-makers from the chain-run gyms during an era of consumer penny-pinching. Each of the 60 cardio stations in their 20,000-square-foot facility at 473 Hope St. has a 19-inch high-definition TV with 122 cable channels, and an iPod dock. Nizzardo and Pace, who is a personal trainer, said they can surpass the level of service they've encountered at fitness centers they have tried throughout Fairfield County. Nizzardo, 26, said he saw a chance to replace a World Gym that closed in the fall of 2007 at the shopping center his family owns. The fully-leased center contains Grade A supermarket, Bob's Discount Furniture, Karp's TrueValue Hardware, Shiki Hibachi & Sushi, Crazy Grapes Wine & Liquor, a nail salon and Laundromat. ‘I figured it would be good to keep a gym there, for the community,’ he said. To ward off the slow sales that knocked out their predecessor, the partners started renovating the gym over the summer. It opened in late November and employs 20 people. They added equipment such as Woodway bicycles and treadmills and Nautilus and Hammer strength-training machines, Nizzardo said. The gym also has punching bags, kick-boxing bags and Palm Beach-brand tanning beds, he added.It also offers free exercise classes, fitness boot camps and personal instruction. Underground Fitness' 200 members pay $39.99 per month, he said. One locally-owned competitor, Stamford Athletic Club charges $70 a month but has an Olympic-size swimming pool and basketball court, said Glenn Colarossi, its manager. He said some small fitness clubs in Stamford have closed, but several large chain-owned clubs, hotel and community center fitness facilities compete with Stamford Athletic Club and Underground Fitness for clients. They include LA Fitness, two Planet Fitness clubs and three New York Sports Clubs. Some people may cut expenses such as dining out but keep gym memberships, Colarossi said. Those without jobs might come to the gym to relieve stress and hunt for job leads from other members, he said. ‘We had the best month of the year in November, and I can't figure out why,’ Colarossi said. ‘Exercise can release the endorphins that make you feel good about yourself.’The exercise industry might need more than an endorphin rush consumers choose thriftiness over fitness club memberships this year. Last year, Bally Total Fitness closed 19 gyms nationwide and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection twice in two years, according to the Boston-based International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association. Association spokeswoman Rosemary Lavery said it was too early to gauge how the industry will fare this year. She said many clubs are promoting themselves with discounts, extra classes and gift cards. As of January 2008, the association said the United States had 29,636 health clubs and a total of 41.5 million members. Those clubs generated $18.5 billion in revenue and employed 1 million people part time and 266,000 full time.”

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/ci_11383290