Original Deluxe Cleaners building to house Snap Fitness

New facility has historic feel

By Steve DiMattia
Resident Community News

Pressed pants are about to give way to bench presses at the old Deluxe Cleaners. Six years after starching its last shirt, owner Anthony Saleeba has rented part of the location to Snap Fitness and the site is currently undergoing a total build-out. All that is left standing of the original Deluxe Cleaners, which opened in 1920 at 2215 Oak Street, are its four historic walls.
“The brick is in intact, in tremendously good shape, and we are not altering the outside at all,” Saleeba said. “The storefront has been removed and will be restored right down to the window muttons. The fitness center will have interior brick finish that will give it that historic feel.”
The brick from the original chimney was also salvaged and will be used in the build back, according to Danny West, who supervised the demolition for Lockwood Quality Demolition, Inc.
Both Saleeba and West also verified that the property has undergone asbestos and lead paint abatement and passed all hazardous material and toxic substances texts. Of particular concern with dry cleaners is the organic solvent Perchloroethylene (also called PERC) that is a carcinogen of known human toxicity that contaminants soil.
“We never used PERC. We used petroleum and mineral spirits from the start and operated under a grandfather clause for petroleum,” Saleeba said. “Petroleum is not a carcinogen and is nontoxic. We also never had a spill.”
Saleeba’s grandfather started Deluxe, which Saleeba said became the largest dry cleaners in North Florida, and he took over in 1992. After selling the business and name in 2006, the building sat empty. The new owners opened across the street under the same name.
“I wasn’t ready to develop it. I never even marketed the property because I was waiting on the economy,” said Saleeba, who owns Mojo4 and 13 other properties in the Shoppes of Avondale. “Then Judy Peek, owner of Snap Fitness, contacted me and said she was looking for a larger space.”
Snap currently is located just up the street at the 1661 Riverside building in a 2,500 square foot store. The Deluxe building is 6,000 square feet.
Saleeba said Snap is expected to open in January 2013 and that it is just phase one of his redevelopment plans. There is an additional 7,000 square feet on the same property he expects to build out next year, though he does not currently have tenants lined up. He said he is open to renting the entire space or splitting it into two.

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