Montville Curves Is Up for Sale

Cindy Zarbo loves her Curves fitness center in Montville. She loves the women who use it, she loves its mission, and she loves the inspiration she gets from it.

But it’s time to sell.

She has two Curves franchises, the one in Montville and the one in Waterford. And two is just too much.

In July, she will have owned the Montville Curves for five years. And at that juncture, she needs to sign up for another five years, or turn the franchise over.

Another five years is just too much.

“I’ve been so straight out with two clubs,” she says.

So, by May, she hopes to sell.

ZARBO WORKED AS A CHEMIST at Pfizer for more than two decades. Her areas of concentration were diabetes, cardiovascular systems and obesity. It was a good job, but at one point, she simply felt it was time to leave.

In many ways, the focus and successes of Curves echo the work she did at Pfizer.

“This,” she says, gesturing around the Curves studio, “is a very positive, very uplifting way to be involved in the health industry.”

She tells of being in the fitness center one day when a client came running in to tell her that her bone density had gone up. The woman had been told by doctors that it wouldn’t go up – but after working out at the Curves studio for a while, lo and behold, she saw improvement.

That is the sort of moment that puts a lot of things into perspective.

ZARBO IS THE FOURTH OWNER of the Montville Curves, and had hoped to be the last one. It’s just not to be.

But the place has a healthy client list, a complete set of exercise machines and a keyless system that allows 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week entry for clients. The equipment is computerized, so it adjusts to the user’s performance level.

She has it for sale on Craigslist at $15,000, which is well below the Curves new franchise minimum price of $24,000.

The monthly fees to Curves are less than $500, and rent on the space is reasonable, Zarbo says.

The new owner can do a Curves training program (it is now two days as opposed to a week, when she took it) – and there’s one coming to Boston in March.

THE PERFECT NEW OWNER would be a local person who really cares about people, and about women’s health, Zarbo says. You don’t have to be a fitness maven, and you don’t have to be in tip-top condition. You’d need to be interested in health and fitness, and, Zarbo says, owning a Curves franchise is an excellent way to get into shape.

“They can turn their life around,” she says.

That there is already a client list, and that the Montville Curves is a known entity are both pluses, Zarbo says.

“The women who come here are awesome,” she says. Everyone from homemakers to business owners have joined the fitness center. The women like it because it’s only women. No one stares, no one feels out of place.

“Women feel very comfortable here,” she says. “They don’t feel judged. It’s a great atmosphere.”

If you're interested in buying the Montville Curves franchise, or finding out more about it, contact Zarbo at 860-367-3935.