Grant helps Alpha Gym install new set of doors
Alpha Gym on East Main Street installed a new set of doors as part of a Downtown Revitalization Grant in 2024.
Inside of a historic building, the owners chose a double door that could better seal heat and chill and match the future plans of the building. Originally, there was just a giant pane of glass with a single glass door.
Store Owner Paul Knepper said the door is wide enough to move equipment in and out of the building now, though most customers use the back door near the parking lot. The other door is only a single door, and is up two inclined walk paths.
Knepper said he wanted to make it black to match the inside of the building, and gray siding to match future plans for the side of it.
The new set of doors on Alpha Gym.
“So it was just kind of picking and choosing and getting a good quality door and having it custom made because the space wasn’t a typical size door,” he said. “It had to be custom made to fit in that space a little better because there’s beams there that had to fit in between.”
Knepper said his wife and co-owner, Stephanie, applied for the door last year as part of a 2024 Downtown Revitalization Grant awarded to the Madison County Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber of Commerce posted on their facebook: “Thanks to the grant, Alpha Gym was able to install a brand new door, adding a fresh, modern touch to a building rich in Fredericktown history.”
They wrote that the building was built in 1862 for E.H. Bess Furniture and Hardware and later housed Jones Brothers Circle Auto throughout the 1940s to the 1980s. The Jones family dates back to the early 1800s, the chamber wrote, when Henry Jones opened the first ice cream parlor and restaurant near the building.
“This program helps breathe new life into historic spaces, ensuring our downtown remains vibrant for generations to come,” the chamber said.
“The 2024 Downtown Revitalization Grant was made possible by the Madison County Chamber of Commerce with support from FHS DECA students, fundraising efforts, and our amazing local businesses. This program helps breathe new life into historic spaces, ensuring our downtown remains vibrant for generations to come.”
