VENICE, Calif. – From the outside, you can tell Deuce Garage on Lincoln Boulevard is one of the lucky ones. Rings dangle from an outside fitness structure, and there is plenty of room to sweat it out on the pavement. 

But Logan Gelbrich’s other locations in the South Bay don’t have outdoor training areas. So on Monday he texted his employees they would be shutting down. 

“We will (get) through the things that are in our control,” Gelbrich said, “however, sometimes the list of things outside your control get a little weightier, heavier.”

Gelbrich learned about Governor Newsom’s order that all indoor gyms must close a few hours before the evening rush Monday. He took a break from sanitizing weights to look for the fine print. He wanted to make sure his Venice location could stay open. 

It was never a question of whether he would keep paying his 14 employees. 

Gelbrich reopened about a month ago feeling optimistic. His business had gone online during quarantine and avoided layoffs. 

“We’re professionals here. This is not people’s side gig, passion project. This is what people do. It’s the only thing that they do. They have full medical, PPO coverage here. They have retirement here. They have a salary here,” he said. 

But with the governor’s order to shut down his two other locations, it was clear the pandemic weighed on his spirits.

“We’re at 40 percent revenue working 400 percent harder,” he said. 

There’s still so much he doesn’t know – like when the economic hardship brought by this virus will end. But his business, fitness, is all about powering through discomfort so he will continue to do just that, hoping he’ll come out stronger in the end.