New Des Plaines Gym Expected to Open in September

Plans for Elite Training and Fitness to open a gym in downtown Des Plaines are underway, Michael Bartholomew, city manager, told city council members at a meeting on Monday.

A new gym is moving into Metropolitan Square in downtown Des Plaines, Michael Bartholomew told city council members at a meeting on Monday. Elite Training and Fitness, based in Elk Grove Village, is going to open in the space formerly occupied by World Gym, Spa di da… and Coldstone Creamery on Market Street, Bartholomew said. The business has a projected opening date of Sept. 1, Bartholomew said. “That’s great; I must’ve put on 15 pounds since [World Gym] closed,” acting Mayor Mark Walsten said. Bartholomew told city council members that Alex Dambach, director of community and economic development, and he have a meeting scheduled with the owners of Metropolitan Square next week. “We’re going to sit down and we’re going to talk about the …

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World Gym Closes Abruptly

Metropolitan Square in downtown Des Plaines gained another vacant storefront on Nov. 15 when a health club suddenly closed its doors.

The mood was a somber one at World Gym on Thursday night as employees of the health club, 10 of them in all, completed their last shifts in the dimly-lit, quiet storefront by packing up everything the company owned onto a box truck. Most of the workers were shocked at the news, and one reader who contacted Patch said she was in the middle of her workout when someone came in the room and said they were closing. One of the former World Gym staff, Amanda Henry, said, “I don’t think there’s much to say. I just think everyone’s surprised by the news.” Andy Myers, district manager for the California-based company, said the business closed, in part, due to financial reasons. He said they were unable to reach an agreement on rental terms with the …

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What Should Move in?

It Was Coldstone Creamery; Now What?

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Coldstone Creamery occupied the 1,458 square-foot space at 1479 Market St. from August 2006 to March 2008, according to city records. Since that time it, like many other spaces in Metropolitan Square, has remained vacant. Samantha Sharp, manager at World Gym, a couple doors away at 1453 Market St., said some kind of bar and restaurant might be a good match. Cheeseburger in Paradise closed last year, and there are not many options like that in the downtown area, Sharp said. Earlier: Cheeseburger in Paradise not the only vacancy downtown. “Anything at this point would be good,” said Megan Krutz, assistant manager at the Hair Cuttery across the street at 1448 Market St. The Hair Cuttery has been in business since Metropolitan Square opened in…

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