Ian Quayle and Jason Brandred create monument to gym founder
Two new owners have stepped in to bring Powerhouse Gym “back to its glory days.” Ian Quayle, 42, and Jason Brandred, 35, took over the bodybuilding fitness center on December 24th.
Both have been going to this gym for over 20 years. Back when the gym was still run by legendary founder Phil Simich. Phil, a Port Vale fan, ran the Powerhouse Gym in Sandyford for 35 years until his death in 2019.
Now, Ian and Jason have vowed to “make Phil proud.”
Ian, from Cross Heath, told StokeonTrentLive: “I’ve known Phil, the gym’s founder, for many years. I first came to the Powerhouse when I was 16 to train with my dad.
“So I actually remember what that gym originally looked like. That’s why Phil asked me to buy the place before he died.”
“But I didn’t have enough money at the time, so I had to turn him down. What was important to everyone was to keep the place going, and no matter who owned it, it was always going to be called a powerhouse.
“A guy called Nick ended up buying it from Phil’s late wife. Nick and I became good friends while training there.
“So when Nick decided a few years later that he wanted to sell, I was the first person he came to because he knew I had always wanted to buy it.
“Jason also used to train here with his old man. We have been training there for many years so we started talking and we became good friends ourselves.
“As soon as Nick told him he wanted to sell the place, he sat down with me and asked if I thought we should sell it. Everything came together very quickly.
“This place has a deep connection to me. I have memories of training there with my dad and Phil, and I know it’s the same story for everyone who goes there.”
“This is a famous gym that has a lot of memories for a lot of people. It’s not a gym that actually makes money. Me and Jason still have to work full time. But we couldn’t bear to see it close.”
Ian and Jason said they are determined to return the gym to its bodybuilding roots. Co-owner Ian said: “In its heyday, Powerhouse was always known as a gym dedicated to bodybuilding.
“When Nick took over, he started introducing general fitness classes. The gym became kind of a half-and-half venue. We’ve now completely gotten rid of all that and gone back to basics.”
“We just needed a good overhaul and that’s what we’ve done.
“It felt like a shell of its former self, so we’re restoring it to its former glory. In memory of Phil, we’ve been making it look like it was back then.
“We also built a small monument to him and many people told us what it was like back then.
“After taking over on Christmas Eve, we spent Christmas Day and Boxing Day there and completed it before reopening on December 27th. Since then we have just been doing a little bit of work on it, painting it, putting in new mats and sorting out all the equipment. Andy from Strength Asylum has also been donating things to help us out.”
“Now, Powerhouse is back to being an old-fashioned bodybuilding gym. I know a lot of people now go to a regular gym during the week and come to Powerhouse on the weekends for the old-fashioned atmosphere.”
Now, the new owners are looking forward to making Powerhouse available to all fitness enthusiasts.
Ian added: “If people come and try it out, we hope we can put Stoke-on-Trent back on the map. Phil would be proud too. We want people to understand this is more than just a men’s bodybuilding gym.”
“Everyone is welcome. We have a female physical trainer coming to teach some classes, so we hope that will help bring in new people. We want this to be a thriving place to stay healthy again.”
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