Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, September 10, 1994                   TAG: 9409120053
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By MAG POFF STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

GOLD'S MOVING DOWNTOWN; OTHER BUSINESSES TO FOLLOW

Cindy Vandergrift, the health club's membership director, said Gold's will open Sept. 19 at 16 Church Ave. S.W. and on the same day close its center at 4108 Electric Road in Roanoke County.

The new location was for many years the site of another fitness center. It opened in October 1983 as Downtown West under the auspices of Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley, and was sold in June 1987 to the operator of Vinton's LancerLot Sports Complex.

The building has been vacant since LancerLot closed the downtown location in October 1990.

Vandergrift said Gold's has purchased the building.

Gold's is moving because its present building is too small for the programs it wants to offer. She said the Electric Road location contains 11,000 square feet, compared to 38,000 square feet on two levels downtown.

The downtown building will be called The Mecca, Vandergrift said, because it will house several businesses in addition to the gym and fitness center.

A beauty salon, Hair Mania, and a nail salon, Polish Me Perfect, will open there Sept. 19 along with the fitness center, Vandergrift said.

A health food restaurant, The Good Earth, and a tanning salon, Four Seasons, will open a few weeks later, she said.

Vandergrift said Gold's plans two aerobics rooms, circuit training, cardiovascular equipment, a weight room and a track. More weight-training machines will be added and the program will be expanded into the additional space.

Dean Huffman, owner of Gold's, said he will succeed where other operations failed because the national name will attract customers.