SIDNEY – Tony Chappie is expanding his Total Fitness business, which has been a goal since he opened his first gym in 1993, with a new Sidney location that is scheduled to open this month.
Total Fitness is tentatively scheduled to open Monday at 1524 Michigan St. in Sidney, the site of the former Snap Fitness. If the new venture goes well, Chappie intends to continue the expansion of his business with a gym in Troy.
“This is my test thing, and if everything goes well I’m going to,” the 1984 Versailles High School alumnus said of his plans to expand beyond his gym in Piqua. “There’s only one way to try and see what kind of support we get.”
One of the reasons Chappie thinks this is the right time to expand is because of the support his business has received. The Piqua location has approximately 800 members, a few hundred of whom are from Sidney.
Membership has increased recently with more people joining the gym during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The fortunate thing about COVID is we saw a spike in memberships after everybody got released from the house,” Chappie said.
Along with the strong membership numbers, the former Snap Fitness location in the Sidney Plaza becoming available presented a good opportunity for Total Fitness. It was an ideal location for Chappie’s expansion plans and already had some equipment.
“It gives people in Sidney a closer option to a nice, affordable club,” the Piqua resident said.
Though the new location already was set up as a gym, Chappie and his team have worked to make it their own and get it ready for opening. They were able to add approximately 1,000 square feet of space for workout equipment by removing walls for offices and a classroom, now giving them about 4,000 square feet of workout space. They’ve also almost doubled the amount of workout equipment and brought in free weights.
“Some people collect cars, I collect fitness equipment,” said Chappie, who retired from his job as a delivery driver about seven years ago. “It’s like a hobby that went out of control.”
Membership for each Total Fitness gym, both of which will be open 24 hours a day, will be $19.99 a month with Chappie considering plans that would allow members to work out at either facility. The Piqua location does have tanning and group workout sessions, which won’t be available in Sidney.
Upon joining Total Fitness, members also will receive a free eight-week training program with a trainer. Chappie thinks the one-on-one training will help people get started and more likely to stick with a workout routine.
“We really make it simple and fun,” he said.
For more information about Total Fitness, visit www.facebook.com/TotalFitnessSidney, totalfitnesspiqua.com or call 937-773-9133.
