Fitness Fad Means
Fat Savings For Some
JULIE EDGAR STAFF WRITER
mericans are great lovers
of top-of-the-line exercise
equipment. They buy only
the best.
And like connoisseurs, they
like to ponder their sleek pur-
chase as one would a piece of
sculpture or an exotic bird. Typ-
ically, it takes a few months for
the stepper or glider to end up in
the basement, out of sight. Even-
tually, nobody remembers who
bought it or when.
Many health-conscious buy-
ers end up losing more money
than weight, but it's good for Dan
Sherbin's business.
In early December, he leased
2,400 square feet in Farmington
Hills and loaded it with previ-
"Free celula phone offer requires 3 yr. new line
tion by Ameritech.
BY DANI EL LIPPI
A
ting. The operation, he thought,
could be lean and mean if he set
it up right.
It also happens that he likes
working with older adults, "nur-
turing" them as they regain lost
physical strength or continue a
lifelong fitness regimen.
Located in a plain, low-slung
office building at Eight Mile and
Orchard Lake roads, Exercise
Warehouse is just that. At the
front are new items Mr. Sherbin
sells for a sports-equipment out-
fit, including digital heart-rate
monitors and power sculpt
bands. Inside a cavernous space
are rows of serious machines
dressed up with gleaming
weights and handles and wheels
Wiwi.
7100 ORCHARD LAKE RD.
at the end of N:r;n,..estern Hvvy.
WEST BLOOMFIELD
HOURS:
Mon.-Thurs. 8 am-9 pm Fri. 8 am-6 pm
STOCKS TAX-FREE BONDS MUTUAL FUNDS
Your Home
or Office
T
F,
A
X
X
M
P
T
U
First of Michigan
Corporation
Members New York Stock Exchange, het
Dan Sherbin of Exercise Warehouse.
FoM
A
Occupation: Owner, Exercise Warehouse, Farmington Hills
A
Herman Schwartz
Senior Vice President - Investments
T
T
R
-U
S
T
S
Name: Dan Sherbin
P
A
‘N
6230 Orchard Lake Road, Suite 230
West Bloomfield, MI 48322
(810) 855-2100
1-800-654-1443
N
G
TAX DEFERRED ANNUITIES IRA's MONEY MANAGEMENT
custom.
shirts b y
marillyn
Custom Shirts & Accessories
At Discounted Prices
Men's Fashion
Coordinator &
Shkt Designer
For 20 Years
9C0-123d
LU
FREE
Cn
LU
THE DETRO
I-
60
Providing the Best
Prices and Service
in Oakland County!
Municipal
Bonds Listing
Receive Weekly Report
— please call —
DAVID BIBER
541-4133 • (810) 656-9500
Crestview Cadillac
Family: Wife, Karen; daughters, Emily, 3, and
Jessica, 8 months; mother, Lenore Risin
Community: Member, Temple Israel
ously owned steppers, bench
presses, Nordic Track ski ma-
chines, cardio glide machines,
dual-action stationary bikes and
treadmills that had been occu-
pying his living room, to his wife's
extreme annoyance. He esti-
mates he spent $25,000 to open
Exercise Warehouse.
The idea for the business grew
out of conversations with his fa-
ther-in-law, a cardiologist who
was concerned that patients in
late-phase cardiac rehabilitation
did not have enough access to
reasonably priced exercise equip-
ment.
Mr. Sherbin, the former dis-
trict manager of Drapery Bou-
tique, figured he could target that
population by offering good used
equipment in a bare-bones set-
and cables, looking like soldiers
at the ready.
Mr. Sherbin, 31, takes trade-
ins, but most of his inventory is
purchased from private sellers.
He'll pick up and deliver equip-
ment, which he reconditions, if
necessary. Customers can expect
reductions of 25 to 50percent off
the price of the equipment new.
"There's a lot of junk out there
and I try to stay with the upper
end of equipment," he says. "I
have to be able to resell it."
As for the new equipment, he
buys it wholesale and is able to
sell it at a discount. However,
don't expect to negotiate a sale
by phone; Mr. Sherbin would like
to see a customer's face inside the
store.
His most popular item has