KAUKAUNA, Wis. — Tony Megna has been coming to Ghost Town Fitness in Kaukauna for 40 years.
“It not only became a place to work out, but it also became like a little social club,” Megna said. “That’s one of the reasons I still come down here. I like the people down here.”
Ghost Town, and many other businesses, had to shut down for months in the spring of 2020 to slow the spread of COVID-19.
“Just like with everything, every business was suffering,” Megna said. “People just wanted to get back. They were scared, but then it’s like anything, you adapt.”
A 2022 report from the Federal Reserve said it’s hard to say just how many businesses closed nationwide because of the pandemic shutdown. Many fitness centers were among the closures.
Ghost Town owner Clay Eiting said the longevity of the business — which opened in 1984 — is part of what helped it survive the shutdown.
“In that time, we took everything we did, looked at it, and when it came back, tried to be a little bit better,” he said. “We just kept doing what we were doing.”
For many people, the pandemic raised awareness about the importance of healthy living.
“It took a little time, but we’re doing as good, if not better, since the pandemic,” Eiting said.
Brianna Williams oversees personal training and operations at Ghost Town. She worked in corporate wellness during the pandemic and said when people stopped coming to the office, wellness programming went on.
“We were virtual. We were going live on YouTube. That’s challenging because you can’t actually see anybody who’s doing it,” Williams said. “You were talking practically to yourself sometimes. It was lonely, but we kind of made it through. I’m really happy that the gyms did open back up, eventually.”
Megna said he’s thankful to be able to still come to Ghost Town.
“They made it,” he said about the business. “They got through it, and for the better, I think.”