Like so many others, the fitness industry has been devastated by the covid-19 pandemic. Leaders on both sides of the aisle in Harrisburg introduced legislation to help, but no action was taken before they adjourned for the summer, leaving gyms and health clubs waiting for assistance.
Action is needed to save our industry. While many covid-impacted industries have received multiple rounds of assistance from the federal government, some in the fitness industry are still waiting for the first round. Few other industries were hit as hard as the fitness industry. Gyms and fitness facilities were the first to close and the last to reopen, and were saddled with stringent and costly reopening requirements.
The economic impact on the industry has been devastating. The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Alliance (IHRSA) estimates that here in Pennsylvania the losses are staggering:
• 46,257 fitness professionals have lost their jobs (38% of jobs in the industry)
• $549 million in lost revenue through Jan. 1 2021, a 41% decline
• 22% of clubs (347) permanently closed as of Jan. 1, 2021
I opened my barre fitness studio in May 2019 with eight employees. I was building a solid clientele and contributing to the health, wellness and economy of our local community — well on my way to realizing my dream. We hadn’t even been open a year when the pandemic hit. The shutdowns, restrictive reopening requirements and confusion about the pandemic turned my dream into a nightmare.
My finances illustrate just how my business — and my life — is teetering on the edge. My studio rent is $5,000 a month; payrolls, utilities, fees and insurance are another $5,000 a month; and my Small Business Administration loan payment is another $5,000 a month. During the pandemic my club’s revenue has never exceeded $14,000 a month, so every month that we stay open, the hole gets deeper and deeper.
Since the pandemic began, I have not paid myself and am relying on Pennsylvania’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which is related to my second job — waitressing — that I took in order to survive while I opened and grew my business.
The cold reality is that I am barely able to tread water. My time as a small business owner is quickly nearing its end without immediate assistance — and I am not alone. Hundreds of clubs and thousands of jobs in the fitness industry here in Pennsylvania are facing the same fate.
Like far too many in our industry, I am trying to figure out how to make it to the next day. Every day that passes without action by our Legislature makes it less likely that we will be able to keep our doors open.
It is encouraging that we have bipartisan consensus about the need to do something to help the fitness industry, but that consensus is meaningless without action. The American Rescue Plan has awarded Pennsylvania over $7 billion to help us recover from the pandemic. The Legislature needs to appropriate this money to those who need it and as soon as possible.
Amanda Cylc is the owner and operator of Bar Method in Pittsburgh’s North Hills.
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