Gold's Gym opening inside Carson City's former Kmart

The Gold's Gym that closed on Topsy Lane about two weeks ago is opening a new location inside a portion of the former Kmart in north Carson City.

The gym, 3456 N. Carson St., will open a temporary 4,000 square foot office for pre-sales that will include space for workout equipment and personal training. It opens tomorrow.

It's the first business expected to fill the long-time vacant building inside the North Town Plaza shopping center in north Carson City. The shopping center has struggled ever since Kmart declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2003 and closed its Carson City location that was built in 1994.

Jiangson Duke, LLC., of Reno bought the building for $1.5 million in June.

Meanwhile, the gym is going to refurbish a 10,000 square foot portion in the north east corner of the 170,000 square foot building. It is expected to open in March 2011, said co-owner Julie Stargardter on Tuesday.

Stargardter and co-owner Chad O'Kelley said they have plans to include a juice bar, space for classes and a kid's club. They plan to eventually expand the gym by another 10,000 square feet with a racquetball court, basketball court and a two lane lap pool* among other features.

"It's going to be beautiful," said John Mulder, the Realtor who handled the deal. "It's going to be the Taj Mahal of gyms."

The Gold's Gym opened in the Topsy Lane shopping center about four years ago at 3790 U.S. Highway 395. Stargardter and O'Kelley bought it in February.

"We've been looking at places off and on for awhile," Stargardter said, who declined to comment on what prompted the move from the Douglas County shopping center.

Regarding the abrupt move, O'Kelley and Stargardter said they asked members for their contact information before closing the gym and removing all of its equipment about two weeks ago. O'Kelley said it was either raising rates or moving to a new building.

They chose the latter.

"And we had to make that decision in five days," he said, adding the gym will not impose fees for members who cancel their membership now that the gym is about five miles to the north.

Current Gold's Gym members will be able to use the new facility starting Wednesday.

* This story has been updated since its initial publication.