A local chiropractor who owns two North Minneapolis businesses is opening a new fitness center in the neighborhood—a move that has attracted the attention of city leaders.

Tara Watson, the owner of Watson Chiropractic and Exceptional Home Health, is opening an Anytime Fitness club on West Broadway Avenue. A grand opening will be held October 31, during which Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak will perform a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Anytime Fitness said that the new club will work to educate people about health and wellness, helping to “revitalize the neighborhood,” where it says “fast food restaurants have become the fixture for health.”

Watson appeared on the cover of Twin Cities Business’ January issue, in which her companies were recognized among the magazine’s annual Small Business Success Stories.

The small-business owner, whose two existing businesses focus on health and wellness, has encountered more than her share of challenges—overcoming floods, tornadoes, and other disasters. To read more about Watson’s businesses and the obstacles she has overcome, click here. Watch a biographical video here or her acceptance speech here.

Last year, MinnPost reported on some efforts that are underway to revitalize West Broadway. Anytime Fitness said in a press release that the new West Broadway club “brings a much-needed service to the community,” describing it as “accessible, affordable, and a great place for community members to get to know each other.”

“If you can work out with your neighbors, you are one step closer to strengthening your community,” Watson said in a statement.

Anytime Fitness, a Hastings-based fitness franchisor, offers members access to its clubs 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Its clubs are smaller than those of, say, Chanhassen-based Lifetime Fitness and don’t offer more expensive amenities such as swimming pools.

The company added 260 new locations in 2012, making it the fastest-growing fitness franchise in the world. Today, it has more than 2,200 clubs on five continents, and earlier this year, it acquired Waxing the City, a Denver-based chain of body waxing salons.

For an in-depth feature story on Anytime Fitness and its founders, click here.