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APPLETON-- The owners of the Little Gym in Appleton sent an email to customers late Wednesday night informing them the gym was closing its doors. That left several parents angry because they had paid in advance for classes at the popular gym and were told they would not be receiving a refund. 

Jason and Stacy Smith have been taking their two daughters to the gym for about 2 years and say they paid almost $800 to the gym in April. They were shocked to hear from friends who are also enrolled at the gym the business was closing down. They are among dozens of angry parents who say the owners could have been given a notice. The owners, Amy and Derek Anderson, were served with an eviction notice for the rental property in Appleton last July. The couple shut down the Little Gym Green Bay location last year. They did not return calls seeking comment. 

A spokesperson for the franchise tells NBC26: Each The Little Gym location is an independently owned and operated franchise. The owners manage the revenues and expenses separately and therefore make their own decisions regarding the continued operation of their business about refunds. We value our brand name and image very highly and we strive to hold our franchise owners to the same high standard. We appreciate your loyalty to the program over the years and regret if the closure has left you with a negative impression of The Little Gym.  We are investigating the situation and continue exploring with the owners additional solutions that may be made available to the Appleton customers.