Sometimes it takes a fresh start to revive something and breathe new life into it once again.

That seems to be the philosophy of Tony Fuselier who recently purchased Vicksburg’s Anytime Fitness, 3403 Pemberton Square Blvd.

Fuselier owns 21 gyms in six states, and he specializes in reviving at-risk gyms.

“Mainly what I’ve done in the last five years is bought the distressed Anytimes – the ones that are kind of underachieving due to poor ownership and management, and I turn them around,” he said. “We’re excited about some of the things and changes that are coming to the club in Vicksburg. I think it’s a great community.”

As to why Vicksburg, Fuselier pointed to several attributes leading to his purchase.

“I’m a self-proclaimed Civil War histroy buff, so that was appealing for me,” he said. “I looked at the community and I looked at the demographics and at first I saw a need — a community that needs to be healthier.”

At the same time, Fuselier said he felt there were limited options in Vicksburg, and he wanted to make this gym a better one.

“I saw the Anytime Fitness and saw the neglect, and I thought I can pick up this club and I can make it a lot better,” he said. “That was my main motivation. We’re headed in the right direction. We’ve heard great feedback from a lot of the members. We’ll be doing some more improvements to the gym to get ready for January 1.”

Fuselier said there will be a complete gym renovation in the next three months including new carpet and paint.

“We have pretty much everything people need for a great workout,” he said. “We may add a bar here or something there, but we have everything someone would need.”

The tanning beds have already been renovated, and new accessories have been ordered for the gym. The cardio equipment has been serviced, and water fountains installed.

“We’ve had a change in management,” he said. “We’ve put Dawn (Bell) in place, and she knows a lot about fitness.”

Fuselier added Bell has two sons who are collegiate athletes, helping to establish her credibility.

“She’s passionate about it,” he said. “She cares a lot about our members, and she’s available and eager to help them.”

Bell said she stays busy making sure the equipment’s working, signing up new members, answering the phones and making sure the gym is clean.

“This gym is smaller, and there’s no waiting for equipment,” she said. “It has the tanning bed, a lot of places don’t. It’s 24/7 access, and you can use any of our other gyms anywhere.”

Anytime Fitness has more than 300 locations, several in Mississippi and northeastern Louisiana, and members have access to all of them at no extra charge.

“Some gyms may claim to be 24 hours, but you really can work out 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year here,” Fuselier said. “Most people here in Vicksburg really enjoy that it’s never crowded.  You’re never going to find more than five people in the gym. It’s like your own personal gym.”

The gym employs a personal trainer, Robert Harris, and from now through the end of December, there are no dues.

For more information, call 601-638-1101.