Businesses want residents to stay local for shopping and workouts

COSHOCTON – Filling perceived needs in the community is a goal of two new businesses opened in the mini-mall near the Coshocton Wal-Mart on Airport Road.

Gordmans Store and Anytime Fitness recently opened next to each other. One is selling apparel, home decor and more and the other is offering a variety of wellness and workout options around the clock. Management at both said citizens would need to go to bigger cities like Columbus, New Phildelphia or Zanesville to find similar businesses. 

Gordmans

Stage Stores recently re-branded its Peebles outlets into Gordmans with 25 being in Ohio. Part of the change over had Stage Stores donating $1,000 to schools in the area of the new Gordmans, with the local dollars going to Coshocton City Schools.

Kim Porter, manager of the local store, said most people compare Peebles to a JC Penny while Gordmans is more like a T.J. Maxx or Marshalls. It has a lot of clothes, furniture, pet items, toys, home decor and more at prices lower than many other chains and isn’t tied to specific brands. Inventory will have frequent rollover offering a wider selection. 

“Peebles was more of a branded store or department store. We carried specific brands and that was about it,” Porter said. “As a Gordmans we’re more treasure hunting. We’re an off-price store. We’ll have new stuff every week and it will be like Christmas every week. Most of the time it won’t be the same thing.”

Porter said they have some temporary employees to get started, but they will settle around 22 workers. John Schie is a sales associate and freight worker. He enjoys working at the store and said his fellow employees feel like a happy family. He also sees the importance of the store for shoppers being able to get what they need locally.

“We’ll have a wider range of variety here that will save the citizens of the community not only time, but money as well than going all the way somewhere else then having to come back home,” Schie said.

Anytime Fitness

Founded in 2002, Anytime Fitness has more than 4,000 franchises in 50 countries. It’s a co-ed health and fitness club open 24-hours a day all year around. Forbes ranked the firm as the fastest growing health club franchise in 2014 and Entrepreneur Magazine had it at the top of the publication’s global franchise list in 2015.

Hannah Bush, manager of the local gym, said they will have three personal trainers and three floating managers who work at various outlets, plus two others helping her run the outlet locally. Bush said they had about 200 sign-ups before the club opened. A grand opening has yet to be set, but members are already using the facility.

They offer VIP platinum and gold memberships with each offering different benefits. The club has 24-hour access, tanning and health coach phone app. Equipment includes weights, cable machines, pin machines, exercise bikes, stair machines and more. Fitness classes will include Pound Fit, Pilates and Zumba. Bush said they hope to have some classes outside in a rarely used rear parking lot.

“It’s more to get people excited, involved and to meet. We can build relationships inside the gym and, who knows, you might find a best friend outside the gym also,” Bush said of the classes. “It’s another way to hold you accountable and have fun with it.”

Bush said the phone app includes 1,100 workouts, allows you to put in your own workout goals and can put you in contact with the membership experience manger.

“We don’t want anyone coming in here feeling like they’re lost or that they don’t have a plan,” Bush said. “If people can download an app and be able to have immediate access to something, it’s great for them and will keep them excited about coming in here.”

The VIP membership also includes a fitness consultation, which is basically a free hour with a personal trainer. The trainer will go over a person’s goals and health history to help them formulate a workout catering to their needs.

“A lot of people come in here and they haven’t joined a gym. They don’t know what they’re going to be doing,” Bush said. “If you tell (the trainer) exactly what you’re looking for, they’re going to give you a workout getting you to exactly where you want to be.”

Bush sees the location as a major asset as they’re near a major shopping area and just off U.S. 36. She knows a lot of people go by on their way to other cities for work or to take advantage of other fitness clubs.

“You can come in before work, after work, your days off,” Bush said. “This is another 24-hour option for everybody that is close to home and has friendly faces.”

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@llhayhurst

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