LYNN — Michael Quintana is getting juiced up about his new business venture on Essex Street.
Quintana, a former Lynn Classical football and basketball player, is opening a nutrition cafe and fitness center at the former Welch’s Florist location on 121 Essex St.
The new establishment, which will be called Innergy, will sell healthy juices, teas, coffees and food from the Herbalife Nutrition company and will share the space with a fitness center where Quintana will host personal training sessions.
In an effort to increase awareness about the importance of healthy eating, Quintana said he is “so excited” to get this project going and to share his knowledge of nutrition and exercise with the community.
After working as a train conductor for years, Quintana realized he did not want to work in that field for the rest of his life, leading him to find his passion in fitness. After attending school and training to learn how to properly practice and teach fitness, Quintana said he now uses those skills to form relationships with his clients and to make a healthy lifestyle “fun.”
His way of teaching includes showing people the fundamentals behind fitness, including eating healthy and learning how to do basic tasks properly, such as lifting things and how to control their bodies. With this, Quintana said he teaches the basic fundamentals so people don’t rely on him to train them, but rather learn how to train themselves to make people feel comfortable working out in a group setting.
“I don’t do a lot of intense training,” Quintana said. “I teach functional training so people don’t go to a gym and feel uncomfortable about not knowing how to do something.”
Quintana is planning to host special training days for kids, senior citizens, and outdoor classes in the lot behind the building. He said watching his five-year-old daughter Laylahni’s interest and excitement for staying active made him want to incorporate children into his fitness center, offering them a space to use their energy to benefit their bodies.
“I want to maximize the space as much as possible,” he said. “I want to allow people from the community to be a big part of this.”
The hope for Innergy is to offer as many free fitness classes as possible with the help of fundraisers and donations, but Quintana said if anything, there will be a small flat price for classes.
Demolition on the interior of the former Welch’s Flowers began last week and the plan is to have the cafe on one side of the building where people enter, with the fitness center being connected by a large barn door on the other half of the building.
Both the cafe and fitness side will be open to the public. Quintana said the cafe area will have lounge seating and other tables to encourage the community aspect of the business. With teas, juices, and other healthy food options available, Quintana said the cafe will offer nutritious options for a large variety of people’s favorite foods, including ice cream.
Quintana’s whole idea behind Innergy is to create a safe space for people looking to live healthier lives, so he said he is focusing on promoting the business through friends and family, rather than running a more commercialized business.
Maintaining the community feel, Quintana said he also hopes to work with local businesses. He also encourages children from the neighborhood to come by the cafe to do homework or to learn more about living a healthy life.
Quintana said he hopes to begin free classes at Innergy in June, but will host free outdoor classes at Barry Park — which he also did last year — if the fitness center is not ready by then.
He plans to open both the cafe and fitness center in July and looks forward to sharing his passion for nutrition and fitness with his community.
“I want to be able to impact people on a higher level with this,” he said.
Innergy will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m, on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected]
