By Brian Freiberger
Looking for a place to work out? The Gym of Vicksburg located at 625 W Prairie St. in a building which housed Bulldog Tanning and fitness, is open and the owner will be renovating the interior during this summer.
The Gym plans to have a grand opening in August although no date has been set. New owner Kathleen Willis from Ostego purchased assets from the former gym in early May, but as an Army reservist is being deployed to Afghanistan for one to two years.
While Willis is gone, Sarah Harris will be managing the business. “I think I’m really fortunate to have Sarah. She is going to do a fantastic job,” said Willis.
Willis has been in the military for 29 years, “Being in the military, I’ve had to stay very physically fit. Now I’m preparing to start my second phase in my career with the Gym,” said Willis.
Willis chose Vicksburg to start a business because she was house sitting there last summer. “I fell in love with this little village.”
Some of the improvements to the Gym include a fitness studio, synthetic turf for sports training and new cardio equipment, according to Harris, The Gym also plans to have group classes and is planning to begin hosting some 5k events and other exercises to help get the community involved, according to Harris.
The Gym is a 3,500-square-foot space and is open 24 hours, featuring a full locker room and equipment such as resistance weights, cardio machines, free weights and tanning.
The co-owner of Apple Knockers, Rita Sertic, who bought the building last fall and is leasing the space to Willis, is planning to open a drive-through coffee shop called Windfall Café. It could be open around the same time as the grand opening for the gym though no date has been set. “If all the stars align, hopefully we can do a grand opening for both of us,” said Sertic.
Willis also mentioned that she and Sertic would like to collaborate to offer healthy beverages and protein shakes.