A fitness facility is up and running in the Valley Mall, taking space once occupied by an anchor department store.
“We are thrilled to welcome Onelife Fitness as it has officially opened its Valley Mall location this morning,” Julie Rohm, general manager of the mall, wrote in an email Thursday. “It completes our redevelopment of the former Macy’s department store. This state-of-the-art fitness center adds a new dimension to our tenant mix here at Valley Mall.”
The J.C. Penney store remains open at one end of the shopping center. The mall has been changing some of its other anchor store spaces that were left vacant after major national retailers faced financial distress.
A space formerly occupied by The Bon-Ton has been taken by Belk, another department store. Belk opened in October.
The former Sears space remains vacant, but the mall plans to expand that area to make room for four retail tenants.
The Macy’s anchor store closed in 2016. Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, which owns the mall, acquired that space in 2017.
About 48,000 square feet of the former Macy’s space has been taken by Tilt Studio, which opened in September. Tilt features video games, a laser tag arena, black-light mini-golf, bowling, bumper cars, a Himalaya ride, a shooting gallery and a snack bar.
On Thursday, Onelife opened, claiming the remainder of the old Macy’s area.
“It’s going good. We’re excited. People are happy. … We’ve had steady traffic today” Tony Ferrari, Onelife’s general manager, said Thursday afternoon.
“It’s a great opportunity for us, and I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for the community.”
A grand-opening ceremony is being planned for next month, he said, but a date has not been set.
The facility employs more than 60 people, including personal trainers and group fitness instructors, according to Ferrari.
He said the facility has “a little bit of everything.” It offers an indoor basketball court, individual and group fitness classes, athletic training, cardio and strength equipment, a mind/body studio with programs like yoga and pilates, spa-inspired locker rooms and a Kids’ Club area that features a theater space.
An indoor pool will open soon, Ferrari said. The facility’s plans also include an outdoor lap and lounge pool with a splash pad for youngsters.
Onelife Fitness also operates a facility at 562 Northern Ave. in Hagerstown. It will remain open.
Onelife is owned by US Fitness, which also operates the Sport & Health brand and is an area development franchisee for Crunch Fitness. The company has locations in Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Missouri and Washington, D.C.
US Fitness has opened seven Onelife Fitness clubs in the past year, the release states, and the Valley Mall facility is the 46th location for US Fitness.
“At Onelife, we’ve experienced rapid growth over the past few years while working to meet rising demand for our top-of-the-line health and fitness clubs that offer luxurious finishes, inspiring classes and a wide variety of equipment and amenities at an unbelievable price point,” Kirk and John Galiani, co-chairmen of US Fitness, said in a news release issued Thursday.
