'We are forever grateful': Popular Norwell gym closes after 42 years on Washington Street
NORWELL − "There is never a good time, but this is the right time."
That carefully worded message posted to their business website is bringing peace to the founders and longtime owners of the Webb's Pro Fitness gym in Norwell, which closed last week after more than 40 years of serving South Shore residents. The gym, which offered popular fitness classes and included a pool, was owned by Amy and Greg Webb.
The Webbs got into the fitness business in 1977, when they opened a small, men's-only weights gym in a Scituate building. Soon, the space was overflowing with new fitness junkies looking to incorporate strength training, and more room was needed, which led to the opening of Webb's Pro Fitness at the Norwell location in 1981. The gym welcomed guests for the last time Wednesday, March 29.
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"We go way back," Amy said with a laugh. "In the beginning, people were wearing leotards and dancing barefoot on carpet for aerobics. We've been through it all − aerobics and step and Zoomba, we carried the gym through two recessions and a lot of competition. Our members stayed with us and helped us see it through."
"Some people have been with us since we first opened," Greg said.
Amy has managed the Norwell location since it opened. She has a master's degree in business administration and a bachelor's in educational media with a sports communication concentration. She taught classes in water aerobics, yoga, aqua Zumba, muscleworks and more, but her real experience comes from her own triumphs and struggles with fitness and health.
She suffered a brain aneurysm at age 24 and has had two back operations, three C-sections and a stem cell transplant in 2013. The closure comes on the heels of yet another health scare, in which she was hospitalized for a six-week cancer treatment.
"I will do great and will live a full life," Amy wrote on the website. "But, knowing I might ever have to go through a medical journey as long and hard as this 6 week one ... We realized this may be the time to step out. There is never a good time, but this is the right time."
Greg is a real estate developer by trade but has a passion for weightlifting and won first place in a multistate bench pressing contest in the 1990s. He's also a ski lover who recently recovered from a hip replacement.
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Webb's had operated largely on a reservation system since the start of the COVID pandemic. Guests booked a specific time to reserve a lane in the lap pool or a piece of cardio equipment, something Amy said helped to create a culture of group fitness and accountability.
Since the closure was announced last month, the couple said they've received dozens of cards and letters from members.
"It's people saying 'thank you' and saying they loved their life there," Amy said. "I have to admit, we really made an impact on people's lives. A lot of people made lifelong friends there."
"The outpouring of support for Amy has been humbling," her husband said. "It's been incredible to watch."
The Webbs have sold the building to someone looking to open a Brazilian jiu-jitsu studio. Most of the instructors from the original staff will stay on to teach many of the original classes, but the pool will close to make room for the new use. Greg said he and Amy are excited the new owners will be taking an innovative approach to fitness and wish them the best of luck.
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Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Webb's Pro Fitness closes after 46 years in Norwell, Scituate
