PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Presque Isle will gain its second 24-hour gym when an Aroostook County fitness business expands into a second location.
Andre Rossignol, who started Rossignol Performance & Fitness in Caribou less than two years ago, purchased the former Mainely Mexican restaurant on Parsons Street this week from Jay and Kelly Edgecomb.
Rossignol’s is the latest area company to expand into Presque Isle, which has seen a wave of new local businesses that give residents more reasons to spend money locally. Gracie Fighter Jiu-Jitsu of Caribou opened a second branch in September, while Daigle Oil will locate its sixth Gentle Bear car wash in the city.
Rossignol’s will be the area’s second round-the-clock fitness center.
“What we really look to offer is convenience,” Rossignol said. “In terms of equipment, [we] try to have a little bit of something for everybody that appeals to all different types of exercisers.”
Rossignol bought the former Mexican restaurant for $180,000, he said Wednesday. Though he has yet to secure a contractor to renovate the space, he tentatively plans to open in September or October.
He envisions the gym as an expansion of the Caribou facility. He wants to offer more equipment and training, update the aesthetics and plans to hire local staff. He and his wife will manage the business.
Rossignol is originally from Van Buren but graduated from Caribou High School. He interned as a strength and conditioning coach for the University of Maine in Orono in 2019, and dabbled in sports performance fitness training before moving into general fitness services.
He earned a personal training certificate when he was 19 and started training high school athletes as clients. He trained around 60 high school athletes during the summer of 2020 at the height of the pandemic, he said.
He launched Rossignol Performance & Fitness in Caribou in September 2021, which began as a training facility for athletes. Rossignol’s business has evolved into more generalized fitness training services as his business continues to grow.
His philosophy of training is simple: keep at it and find something you enjoy.
“If you want to get results it has to be enjoyable and consistent to get the results you are looking for,” he said.
Rossignol considered expanding when several people asked if he might open a place in Presque Isle. He investigated the area and eventually landed on the former restaurant property.
Mainely Mexican opened in February 2018 and was the one of few Mexican themed restaurants in Aroostook County. The Edgecombs, who said they had planned to run the business for five to seven years, announced on June 22 that the restaurant had been sold.
Presque Isle’s other 24-hour fitness center is Aroostook County Fitness, which opened last September.
