Courtesy / CrossOver Fitness
A large indoor space is expandable to the outdoor parking area with the garage door open, said the Merciers.
Updated: July 8, 2020
Cautiously optimistic, Wells couple opens gym with pandemic-guided layout
Courtesy / CrossOver Fitness
Katie and Andre Mercier, seen here with their daughter Evie, opened CrossOver Fitness on Tuesday.
A Wells couple wasn’t planning to open a commercial gym in the midst of a pandemic.
But Andre and Katie Mercier’s new facility offered plenty of physical-distancing space, so they’re going for it.
The Merciers opened CrossOver Fitness yesterday afternoon, at 52 Sanford Road in Wells.
They’re starting with a light schedule this week and will add on as they progress through the next week or two, Katie Mercier told Mainebiz.
The exercise floor is 50 feet by 50 feet and is further expandable thanks to a garage door that opens onto a parking area, the couple said.
“We can easily and safely have 10 people keeping their distance,” said Andre.
The couple said they’re following the state’s COVID-19 safety checklist, providing things like sanitizer stations and lots of signage reminding people to wipe down equipment. As the instructors, the Merciers will wear masks throughout the sessions, which will feature movement demonstrations but not vigorous exercises, which can be difficult with masks, he noted.
On the exercise floor, he said, there will be enough space so that students won’t have to mask up.
Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for gyms and exercise facilities call for 14 feet of distance for vigorous exercise, and 6 feet for nonvigorous.
“We can meet that requirement,” Katie said.
The couple made a video to post on Facebook that details what customers should expect when they enter the building.
Procedures listed on the door and on interior signage include instructions, for example, to don a mask as they walk into the building, use the hand sanitizer station just inside the door, and keep their masks while they perform set-up in the seating area such as changing into sneakers. Customers can remove their masks on the exercise floor, where stations are set up 14 feet apart.
“It is definitely not an ideal time to open a gym, or any business for that matter, but we are lucky here at CrossOver to have a big open space that will allow us to accommodate decent sized classes, with plenty of space between athletes,” the Merciers wrote in another Facebook post. “Our big garage door will allow for plenty of fresh air flow, too.”
Gyms and exercise facilities were allowed to open during phase two of the state’s reopening plan.
The Merciers are Level 1 CrossFit trainers. CrossFit is a branded fitness regimen involving various high-intensity movements coupled with nutritional guidelines.
CrossOver is designed to be a family-friendly fitness facility, with various levels of workouts that can be scaled to meet each customer’s needs. Children 12 and over are encouraged to join their families on the exercise floor, and there’s a designated space for younger children to play while their parents work out.
The child-friendly aspect is pretty rare for a fitness facility, said Katie.
“I think we’ll find a lot of success with that,” she said.
The Merciers come to the business from backgrounds as high school teachers and coaches in the Wells Ogunquit School District.
“Fitness has always been a passion of ours,” said Andre.
The idea of opening a gym had been in the back of Andre’s mind for years. They identified the Wells property, a former retail shop, as an excellent prospect before the pandemic. The property was listed by Roxane Cole Commercial Real Estate.
Located on busy Route 109, it’s near U.S. Route 1 and a mile from the Wells Harbor recreation area. The property consists of a 1.51-acre lot that has a dwelling constructed in 1896 and fully renovated in 2008. It’s connected to a high-bay retail building built in 2008. There’s also a freestanding garage built in 2014, and an acre or so of undeveloped land. The location has a high traffic count.
Courtesy / Roxane Cole Commercial Real Estate
Andre and Katie Mercier this week opened CrossOver Fitness at 52 Sanford Road in Wells.
“When the pandemic happened, we said, ‘We’re in too deep now. We’re moving forward,’” said Katie.
They finalized the purchase on June 12 for an undisclosed price. Justin Lamontagne of NAI The Dunham Group was the Merciers’ broker.
The building worked well, said Andre, because of its wide-open floor layout and high ceiling. The couple moved quickly to perform improvements such as painting the walls and installing rubber flooring and equipment, at a cost of $30,000 to $40,000.
The couple held informal classes for close family and friends during the renovation period. The activity generated buzz and inquiries in the local community, said Andre.
“I think we’ll thrive,” he said. “There some high demand.”
Most Recent
Most Recent
Anonymous
July 8, 2020
Do you offer exercise for Silver Sneakers? Thank you.
1 Comments