Do these doors look familiar? If you’re a Maple Valley resident, for a good reason, they  should.

For 25 years Maple Valley Fitness was a safe haven to Maple Valley residents seeking a physical outlet.

My own parents, 37, and 40, got to know Kelley well through his support in their teenage years. Years later, returning from college, where they met, together  they moved back to Maple Valley, purchasing a membership at the same gym. Later on in life, they purchased memberships for my three siblings and I, who fell in love with the hometown gym community.

My mom, 37 now, having lived here since the age of 5 remembers attending the gym with her father, and my grandpa as a teengaer.  

Meanwhile, my dad got to know Kelley, former manager of Maple Valley fitness, well by coming to the gym regularly in high school. Kelley was always an enthusiastic supporter of him and his goals, while he trained hard as the Skyline High School Football captain and later moved on to become a place kicker for the Central Washington University.

My parent’s relationship with Kelley, former Maple Valley fitness manager, is just one of countless stories which paint a picture of the unique dedication and interest Kelly held for his members, which became like family. 

Kelley truly is both invested and interested in everyone who comes through his gym’s doors. 

But after years of housing the opportunity for physical activity and growth, Maple Valley Fitness, February 11th marked the last day it’s doors would be open to the community. 

Why?  To understand why we must think back to March 16th 2020 when Governor Inslee’s decree to lock down the state hit our community. 

Closely following this was the unfortunately the order that crushed our small business, like Maple Valley Fitness;

 “Non-essentials business are to shut down” This simple phrase held detrimental impacts to the small businesses of Maple Valley, and beyond. 

To visualize this; imagine your life’s work, labeled as unessential, someone snatching the keys to your happy place and forever shutting it off from the minds and bodies of the world. Now try and emphasize with the devastation so many felt at not being able to exercise their bodies; their amazing outlet, labeled as “unessential” and shut off by their governor, like a fluent pipe gone frozen.

There was nothing Maple Valley Fitness could do, but encourage people to keep active at home, and promise one day their doors would be open again. Months later Maple Valley Fitness sent out an email asking people not to cancel their memberships, warning them that if members continued to cancel they  have no choice but to close. 

The email woke many loyal members, to the fact their beloved fitness haven was endangered; including my family and I who had purchased our memberships for everyone in the family and established a daily ritual of working out before the shutdown. 

We loved our gym community and did not want to see it deteriorate. 

After many months of complying to Governor Inslee’s decree, Maple Valley Fitness would not comply any longer. Later they revealed the consequence if they had kept complying; bankruptcy. As so many other small businesses have met this devastating fate, before their doors could even reopen once more. 

Kelley, Manager of Maple Valley Fitness,  had a tough call to make. 

Reopen their doors and free their remaining members to get the exercise they so desperately needed, at the same time receiving thousands of dollars of government fines for reopening during the lockdown. 

Or remain closed, continuing to deprive desperate people of the outlet their bodies craved, and continue to await bankruptcy, which would pair with the equivalent amount of time it would take for the governor to lift the lockdown.

Kelley opened his doors. Relief flooded the gym community. Members, for the first time in nearly 6 months, gave our bodies the strength training we’d been longing for throughout the lockdown. 

Governor Inslee however was not celebrating. No doubt infuriated, he sent a fat fine to Maple Valley Fitness’s mail box. 

And with the pitiful amount of savings that remained through the course of time their business had been behind doors, the governor mandated locked, stretched to pay the enormous fine; the consequence of their bravery. 

The devastating blow of losing Maple Valley Fitness in my hometown community is one that will not be forgotten soon. Through a time of so much uncertainty, Maple Valley fitness provided a modest stability that, though our Governor failed to realize in time, was truly essential. 

Those of us in the fitness community recognized MV Fit as a unique and essential component to our town. This is expressed clearly in reviews located at Maple Valley Fitness’s former website:

Kira Fenske

10 months ago

Maple Valley Fitness was my safe haven this year when my mental health was deteriorating when all other gyms turned their members away. They stayed open and helped people help themselves! Thank you Maple Valley Fitness!! Your bravery and sacrifice will never be forgotten! 🇺🇲

Chase Kingsbury

3 reviews

8 months ago

Best gym I’ve been ever to since I started lifting. People and staff there are like family. Kelly is a straight up good man… one of the best dudes I’ve ever met. Lilly is awesome and one of my favorites here too. Gym vibe is the best around.