Staff, customers saddened by Wolff Fitness closing in Elgin

The closure of a longtime gym in Elgin that specialized in catering to seniors was an emotional blow to clients and staff members who gathered Wednesday for a final goodbye.

Wolff Fitness co-owner George Wolff said the gym, which opened in 1988, couldn't compete in an increasingly crowded market of "big box" and smaller gym chains.

"Our largest demographic is over 55. A lot of them have one or more medical issues, so we consulted with their physicians and physical therapists to create a fitness plan for them. That also made it more expensive," said Wolff, a former director of rehabilitation services for St. Joseph Hospital.

The gym also offered a fitness program for breast cancer survivors, said Wolff, who two years ago obtained a certification for the therapy of lymphedema. "That was my pride and joy," Wolff said.

Gym member Judy Taeyaerts said staff members were "wonderful" in helping her late husband, Fred, who suffered from Parkinson's disease and died in August. Her husband joined the gym, initially called Elgin Nautilus, when it opened in 1988 off State Street downtown; it moved a few years later to 2090 Larkin Ave.

"Even if we didn't ask for help, they would help him every time, trying to figure out which machine was best for him and assisting him," Taeyaerts said. "They had a one-on-one (approach) that was unbelievable."

Monthly rates of $41 were necessary to cover such wraparound services with a staff of four full-timers and about six part-timers, but also made it hard to keep up with others with prices as low as $10 per month, Wolff said.

The gym began losing clients after the opening of the city-owned Centre of Elgin, followed by especially tough times after the economic downturn of 2008, when clients lost jobs and canceled memberships, Wolff said. "Who will fill that niche? I'm afraid nobody will at this point. We lost a lot of people to the ones that have less experience."

The closure of the gym was difficult to deal with, longtime employees said.

"It felt like a visitation for the last week or two," said manager Cathie Fleming, who began working there in July 1988, five months after the gym opened.

"It's a really sad day," said fitness instructor Paula McCorkle, a 21-year veteran of the business.

Working with seniors for so many years was extremely rewarding, Fleming said. "I have seen older people and how exercise raises the bar for them so many times. Being able to see people more productive and independent - I have been blessed."

McCorkle called it "a different brand of fitness center." "It's rare to find the kind of service, the kind of help we give to members."