Local gym chain Queen City Athletics plans to open a Bucksport location next month as its latest expansion.
The site at 124 U.S. Route 1, which formerly housed a U.S. Cellular store, will become a space to work out with 24/7 access, according to owner Shawn Demaray. He also plans to offer some personal training and strength conditioning, including for student athletes.
“It’s just a great location,” he said. “I feel like there’s a need for it there and it will do well.”
It’s on track to open in May, and will be the company’s fourth location following Veazie, Ellsworth and Hermon. Demaray said he’s found a niche by opening in smaller towns with strong high school sports teams along major roads that don’t have convenient access to a good gym.
The 1,500-square-foot Bucksport site will be fully stocked with equipment including treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, a stair stepper, squat racks, a squat machine, other strength machines and free weights, along with functional equipment like resistance bands and medicine balls. It will offer a “little bit of everything,” he said.
Queen City Athletics’ Veazie location is inside Eastern Maine Sports Academy and features indoor turf for training high school sports teams in speed and agility. A former all-conference UMaine football player and coach at area colleges, Demaray opened his first location in Veazie just over four years ago, offering personal training, fitness classes and athletic development.
Some student training will also take place in Bucksport, according to Demaray, but it will primarily be a spot for members to work out. People with memberships will have access to all Queen City Athletics locations.
The 24/7 access, flexibility between locations and online membership purchasing all provide a convenience that customers respond to, Demaray has found.
“The number one thing people want is convenience when it comes to the gym,” he said.
He’s looking to continue expanding and is currently exploring locations including Dover, Lincoln and Millinocket.
Memberships can be purchased online as family, individual, senior or military packages for a week, a month, several months or a year. The business plans a pre-sale on memberships and a grand opening in the coming weeks.
