North Raleigh Today

Many small businesses struggled through the COVID-19 shutdown. While some closed for good, others are still trying to get back in the black economically.

CORE Fitness Studio in Raleigh is one that, like its owner, is making a recovery.

"I think...what we all want is hope," owner JoJo Polk told WNCN. "We've seen familiar faces come back into the gym, and we've also seen a lot more new faces, and I think that going forward I think it'll be OK." 

If any business owner knows the value of not giving up, it's Polk. He was once an arena football player. A sports injury resulted in a broken neck that paralyzed him, but he fought back to regain his ability to walk and move freely.

In business, the challenge wasn't physical, it was economic, he told WNCN. The pandemic shutdown for fitness centers was lengthy. Even when the number of cases started going down, some people were hesitant to go to the gym. 

A few months ago, news reports indicated that it looked like CORE Raleigh was in its final days. Polk, however, launched an online fundraiser to try to finance a rebirth. It paid off to the tune of more than $40,000, which has allowed the gym to not only stay open, but to add staff and build back membership.

"I was really worried that these may be our last days," Polk said about the situation earlier this year. 

But with the success of the fundraiser, his outlook changed. 

"It is almost surreal," Polk said. "We give so much to the community. Just for them to return the favor it meant a lot for us."

Now that the mask mandate has been lifted and COVID-19 cases have stayed down for a while, he sees a brighter future.

"I'm not quite sleeping yet, but I think things are starting to get back to normal," Polk told WNCN.

Classes are larger now, but the studio is still following guidance to keep people safe, so there are restrictions on how many people can attend.

Polk recently made a video documentary on YouTube about his journey to come back from his football injury and how he applies that never-say-die attitude to other aspects of his life.