Friday, Jul. 09, 2010

Couple hopes third time is charm for gym

Fitness facility offers local alternative to bigger gyms, more personal service

Dave and Rhonda Nunes are trying for the third time to make their fitness training business become a permanent part of a city.

The couple spent years in Los Banos as the owners of Dave's Gym & Fitness. In 2008, however, increased competition forced the business to relocate to Newman. It didn't work out.

"We decided to shut down in Newman. The market wasn't there. The population was there but the market wasn't," Dave Nunes said. "We just thought Newman wasn't the right choice."

About two weeks ago, the Nuneses opened Dos Palos Fitness on Elgin Avenue, in a community nearly one-sixth the size of their original Los Banos location. But Dave Nunes gives no indication that he's scared by the population size.

"We don't have to do high numbers. You'd be surprised at how many people from here and Firebaugh drive to Los Banos to train," Dave Nunes said.

Rhonda Nunes said mostly she and her husband are trying to offer people a local alternative.

"People who come and workout and not have to drive," she said. "This way they don't have to spend that extra hour, 30 minutes or whatever to commute to get their exercise in."

Dave Nunes said his business is striving to obtain 200 members, but he understands there are certain things big gyms can offer that he cannot.

"You take your market into consideration with your amenities compared to a bigger club that has climbing walls, swimming pools. ... We can't charge the same as that because we don't have all those amenities," Dave Nunes said. "We're not here to compete with the big boys. We don't have amenities like they do. But what we do have in place of that is more personal service."

Dos Palos Fitness is planning to offer a car wash to its users.

"For this town that service will be good, because there's no full-service car wash," Dave Nunes said.

He said he doesn't view the recession as a hindrance to his business because the economy will eventually turn around and people continue to go to the gym in bad financial times.

"This type of business, because of the stress level, people still need it. They find a way to make it affordable in their budget," Dave Nunes said.

He said after 30 years in the business he has no plans to ever give up working in the industry.

"We always love to accept a challenge, that's just how I am," he said. "You always have to set goals for yourself. They don't have to be big goals, they could be small goals. If you make it, you make it. If you don't, set some more small goals."