Thursday, March 1, 2007

Reilings get physical at Body Shoppe in Oskaloosa

by Kenneth Lassiter

Faced with the prospect of losing a local business or giving a new venture a try, Dennis and Linda Reiling made the investment and bought The Body Shoppe circuit fitness center in Oskaloosa.

Dennis is an Oskaloosa native who is a long-time magistrate judge in the local district court and Linda moved to Oskaloosa from Tyler, Texas, in 1967 in time to graduate from Oskaloosa High School and now operates the local American Family insurance office. Linda patronized the fitness center while original owner Judi Rudder operated it, and when Rudder opened a new branch in DeSoto last year, the prospect of giving both centers the attention they needed led her to put the Oskaloosa Body Shoppe on the sale block. The Reilings heard Rudder had gotten a fair offer from an out-of-county buyer and, rather than let the business shut its doors, decided to step in and make a deal. They had an edge as they own the building that houses not only the center but also Reiling’s insurance office and Cowboy Bleu antique store, which is operated by their daughter, Heather Reid.

“We had seen in the paper that the business was for sale. The business was already established here and was a tenant,” Dennis Reiling said, “and we knew at one point an out-of-town buyer wanted to buy all the equipment and take it out.”

“It’s a real asset to Oskaloosa,” Linda added. “This gives people a fun, clean place to do their workouts. There’s a tanning bed here that was new to the business when Judi had (the business) for sale. We didn’t want to see the place closed. It was a turnkey type deal, so that worked out well for us where we didn’t have to start from scratch.”

The details were worked out over the course of a month and, on Feb. 14, the couple signed the papers to take over the business. Reid, who also helps out at American Family, will chip in a couple days a week as manager of the center.

No major changes are planned, although the hours have been expanded somewhat. The center is open from 6 to 7 a.m. for ladies only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and also open co-ed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m.; open co-ed from 4 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday; and open co-ed from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. “Circuit training” calls for the exerciser to spend three minutes on an exercise bike to warm up and then make the circuit of the 16 stations – spending 45 seconds at each station and making two circuits. The stations include eight weight machines and eight other exercise stations. Reiling said a complete workout takes about 40 or 45 minutes.

The new owners also kept the membership fees the same as new members pay a one-time $35 fee plus a rate of $35 for one month, three months for $90 or six months for $150. A single-day pass is $4. Tanning prices start at $7 for a single or $5 for a single tan for members, with multiple tan plans available. Another new feature that came along with the Reilings was a new e-mail address at bodyshoppefitnesscenter@gmail.com.

Only a couple weeks into their experience in the fitness industry, Dennis and Linda said the transition has been smooth thus far. With the cold and flu season in full bloom, they have put a priority on sanitizing as all the equipment is regularly sanitized and exercisers are encouraged to rub on hand sanitizer before starting their workout. The couple also bought some disposable eye covers for people using the tanning bed as an alternative to the normal plastic eye covers that could carry germs.

“Let’s just say Judi is on speed dial on my cell phone,” said Dennis with a laugh. The couple will continue to sell Herbalife nutrition products from the center as well. “She’s been great about helping answer anything we’ve asked. We’ve discussed expanding hours a little more than we already have. We’d also like some public input as to what they’d like the center to add.”

“We’ve talked about adding a free-weight room and we’d like to expand so people can come and not only do aerobics but also yoga and pilates,” Linda added. She has operated her American Family agency for 15 years. “It’s one thing to come in and work out but it’s different when you talk about coming in and running the business. We want to make sure that, whatever changes we make, we want to do them well.”

While the center gets plenty of patronage from women in the area, Dennis said the idea is slowly growing among men to make more regular trips to the gym. When announcing their purchase to the local chamber of commerce recently, Dennis joked that he was the “before” picture and Reid was the “after” picture of the gym’s effect on the physique.

“A month ago I never would have imagined I’d be in the fitness business,” Dennis said, “but here we are. We’re encouraging people who come in to have somebody who will hold them accountable and partner up to make sure they stick with it. It helps to have a buddy when it comes to this.”

Both Reilings as well as Reid said they are still learning the nooks and crannies of the business and some work has yet to be done – including outfitting the center with a computer for records keeping – but they’ve had an enjoyable experience thus far.

“We won’t get in trouble for not paying the rent, at least,” Dennis joked. “It’s a win-win thing for Judi and us and the community, I think.”

“We all need an outlet to relieve stress,” Linda said. “We’re excited about it. It’s fun and the people are great. It’s a success story for all of us. We’re having a good time.”