Posted on: Tuesday, February 26, 2002

World Gym closes down

World Gym, whose owner tried to create a gym for competitive, serious body builders, closed its doors on Friday after three years of operation.

Shane Morioka, the 34-year-old franchise operator of World Gym and former state body-building champion, was the lone paid employee, but he also got help from volunteers. Morioka said he notified the club's 700 members over the last three weeks that he was closing and offered refunds on their monthly or yearly memberships.

"We're just not making it," Morioka said yesterday. "This was my dream. It died. I'm really sad."

In August 2000, World Gym was the scene of an arson fire that caused an estimated $1.6 million in damage. The case has been taken over by investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.