Ready, Set, Go! And get in shape at Fit24
Get ready to shape up, Minneota. Fit24, the new fitness center owned and operated by Cari and Nathan Pohlen is expected to open on Sept. 1.
“I'm more excited than nervous now,” said Cari. “As we get more and more done and you can see it all coming together, it's getting to be an exciting time.”
The new three-room fitness center will be located in one of the former Ufkin's Furniture and Appliance buildings on the west side of Jefferson Street in the business district.
“We are finishing up the turf flooring in the front half of one of the rooms,” Cari noted. “The equipment is coming next week sometime.” And the Fit24 sign is being made by Bend-Rite Fabrication Inc. of Marshall and will then be painted by Pete’s Powder Coating of Minneota.
Installation of the sign is expected to begin this week. Memberships are not yet being taken, but will be within the next two weeks, said Cari.
Currently, t-shirts emblazoned with Fit24's name and logo, are on sale in various sizes and colors.
For those interested, email cari@minneotafit24.com. The shirts are $15 apiece.
Fit24 plans to host an Open House during Boxelder Bug Days and the Grand Opening after that. The fitness center will be mainly a family-owned, family-run operation, including the Pohlens' two children, Alex and Emily.
The fitness center renovations include new wood laminate wood flooring, painted walls and ceilings, an additional uni-sex bathroom with handicapped-accessible shower, tanning beds, exercise equipment, new front door with card key entry, residing on the outside.
The three rooms will house an open cardio workout area, weights and a studio with bathrooms and two tanning beds in the rear. Fit24 will be open 24 hours a day, with members being issued a “card key” in order to use the facility at their convenience.
Cari Pohlen holds a degree in Exercise Science from Concordia College in St. Paul. “I’ve been thinking about opening a fitness center for a long time,” she said.
“I did my internship at Anytime Fitness in Marshall and saw a need for a similar place in Minneota.”
And now that the Fit24 business is taking shape, so too can future members of the club.