If this was 20 years ago, St. Clair County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jeff Bohm would be jumping up and down on his desk in frustration.
“I would’ve been going crazy,” he said, due to how the coronavirus pandemic has affected his Marysville and St. Clair Viking Fitness Centers and the gym industry.
In March, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order that closed public spaces, including gyms, to try and slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Other industries have slowly been reopening and indoor gyms in the state were set to reopen on June 25, but a federal appeals court agreed to delay implementation of a judge's order that would have allowed it.
For Port Huron gym Afterburn Fitness Club, which opened its cardio center in October and group fitness classroom in February, it has been a difficult transition.
“We were feeling like we were just starting to get some momentum moving forward with the business when everything got shutdown so it has been tough to swallow,” co-owner Emily Lelito said in an email.
When the quarantine started, the gym put membership fees on hold. Like most, it still had bills to pay but didn’t have any money coming in, she said.
The gym has been able to stay connected with members in different ways through Zoom classes and outdoor classes on the building's rooftop.
"We have done our best to stay connected and adapt to the new way of the world," Lelito said. "We practice social distancing and have set strict sanitizing and cleaning guidelines that our members and instructors follow."
For Katie Keen, co-owner of gym Obscurus CrossFit in Port Huron, watching other businesses open has been frustrating. The first four to eight weeks were necessary, and Whitmer had to do what she had to do, but she says it feels like gyms have been left in the dust.
“I definitely think it’s gotten a little out of hand now,” she said. “Enough is enough.”
Katie Keen said the gym had to adjust to something it couldn’t control. It pivoted to Zoom classes and rented out equipment like dumbbells and medicine balls to members. This gave members some stimulus, but it wasn’t the same.
“It definitely wasn’t something that was meant to be long term,” she said.
Tim Kane, her husband and gym co-owner, said the hard part about owning a gym during this is that no one talked about how gyms can make people healthier, physically and mentally, and help fight off viruses. Gyms were only thought of as a place that germs could spread.
The gym has been able to open for outdoor classes and the building, 7,200-square-feet, is big enough to socially distance people for classes, which they believe still follows state guidelines, Katie Kane said.
“I really hope every single gym in this town gets to open up very soon,” she said.
She said the gym still charged fees during the closure, considering them rental fees for the equipment and for the programs, as the gym was still offering services.
Another gym offering services in Port Huron is Cutting Edge Health & Fitness, which posted on social media June 23 that the gym is open and having a “grand opening special.”
Three calls to the gym went to a full voicemail, which stated the gym was “open for business.” Two messages sent to the gym’s social media were not returned.
Bohm said he understands that “people have to do what they have to do to survive.”
“I had the ability to weather the storm, I’m not sure my competitors can say the same,” he said.
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This includes St. Clair Wellness Center, which closed May 1. Bohm is expecting any losses he experiences to be filled by an influx of new members from the gym closing.
However, gyms make money from January through March to get the business through slow times. When gyms were shut down in March, during the moneymaking time, that wasn't good. If they are closed in January and February, that will be worse, he said.
“Our cycle is a little different than other industries,” he said. “July and August are brutal in our business.”
Bohm said when his gyms can reopen they will disinfect every morning and evening and he thinks people will have a higher level of concern and bring their own sanitizer and towels as well.
Lelito said because Afterburn is a smaller gym, it may have an easier time transitioning to the new regime once they know what that entails. Classes are meant to serve eight to 10 people maximum, so if the state limits the number of people per class, it may be in a better position to enforce those guidelines.
“I have no idea what is going to happen next, I just hope gyms will be able to open soon,” Lelito said. “I am just thankful for what my husband and I have, and (we) are hoping for the best.”
The governor's office did not respond to an email with questions regarding clarification around gym activities and services.
Contact Bryce Airgood at (810) 989-6202 or bairgood@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123.
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