Friday, Aug. 29, 2008
Fitness products, tanning all rolled into one at new store
The Body Shak opens second store in county
By Corey Pride / cpride@losbanosenterprise.com
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ReprintPete Wainwright gets to work before eight in the morning everyday. He does a little bit of cardio, about 30 minutes of weight lifting and then he's ready to open the store.
As the co-owner of a nutrition store called The Body Shak, the 34-year-old makes sure he stays in shape.
Even without the fitness routine he's been practicing since his youth, Wainwright remains busy trying to make a success out of his business' new Los Baños location.
"It's going great," Wainwright said of the reception he's received from Los Baños residents in the two weeks since he opened the store. "The customers are awesome, great referrals. As long as everyone walks in here happy and walks out happy, we'll be alright."
To keep customers happy, The Body Shak, located along Pacheco Boulevard near In-Shape City, offers a variety of supplements, fitness bars, fat burners and vitamins.
Upon entering the business there are two menus that are visible on the east wall. One is a list of choices available at The Body Shak's smoothie bar and the other is a litany of plans available for customers interested in tanning.
The Body Shak has 12 tanning booths that are imported from Europe. There's also a facility for applying a spray-on tan, which has become quite popular according to Wainwright.
"Nobody else in Los Baños is doing it," he said.
The Los Baños store is Wainwright's second. He and his father, Pete Sr., opened their first Body Shak in Merced nearly two years ago.
Wainwright decided to go into business with his dad after 10 years of running a nutrition store in San Diego.
"He's been doing construction for a lot of years and I've been doing nutrition. It worked out really well because he does all the build out work and I do all the ordering," Wainwright said. "He's my dad. He's my best friend. We have a really good relationship like that."
The father-son duo have seven employees, all of whom are working at the Merced location.
Despite being a one-man show in Los Baños Wainwright manages to stock shelves, clean the tanning booths and even repair the computer servers when necessary.
Customer Leann West gave her approval of the business before she left the store Tuesday afternoon.
"This place rocks," she said.
Wainwright said he's tried everything The Body Shak sells because he needs to be able to make sure the products will work for his customers. He does not hesitate to give advice either.
"Basically it's whatever they want," Wainwright said. "If I can help them with a nutritional plan, provide them with what supplements they want... I think we provide a service here that people appreciate."
Wainwright said his customer base extends beyond people who are heavily into fitness.
"Whether you work out or not you should always have a good diet. You're going to feel better, have more energy during the day, be more productive," he said, touting the vitamins sold at the store. "That's why these big corporations now are actually paying for gym memberships."
Wainwright is preparing for grand opening ceremonies that will be held at the business Sept. 13. The Body Shak will be offering tanning and smoothies at half price and have a radio station broadcast a couple of hours of programming from the business' location.
"My biggest thing is I enjoy what I do," Wainwright said. "My main goal is to provide a facility people enjoy coming to, when they leave here, they're satisfied."
Enterprise staff writer Corey Pride can be reached at 388-6563 or cpride@losbanosenterprise.com