When Shannon and Lindsay Mog first purchased the former Home Lumber & Supply Co. building on North Main Street, they thought it would be the perfect solution for storing materials for his roofing and rental businesses.

But once the couple started cleaning out the building, they soon had other ideas.

“The building is very old and had been added on to many times,” Lindsay said.“We knocked down quite a few walls and basically took the room down to its bones.”

Opening up the room, she said, dramatically changed the look and feel of the space, and that had them thinking about something totally different.

“We have dreamed about having our own workout space for a while and also a space to just go hang out with friends and family besides our own home,” she said. “I used to manage an event center years ago, and once we finished the front part of the building, it just seemed like a great space to use for parties and other events.”

Aptly named High Jinks Rec. Club, the business features an event space and a fitness facility. The name, Lindsay said, just seemed to fit.

“It means essentially, carefree, rambunctious fun; horseplay,” she said.“It seemed appropriate for what we were going for.”

The modern, rustic event space has as an open floor plan, featuring a full kitchen, TVs, lounge areas, pool and chess tables, ping pong and foosball. A Wi-Fi hot spot is also available.

The space also has enough room to formally seat 80 people, and can be rented for private catered events as well as parties, birthdays, reunions and baby showers.

“One of my favorite features in the event space is the large metal safe that has been in the building for many years,” she said. “My husband and I brought in old wood planks from his farm that he salvaged from an old barn as a child. We decided to frame in the safe and really make it a showpiece. It is usually a topic of conversation for anyone who rents out the space. We like to open it up and show the intricate details of the doors on the inside. It really has some beautiful craftsmanship to it.”

While the Mogs started renting out the event space in March, the gym is still under construction. Once it’s completed, the fitness side will feature commercial-grade equipment and a sauna.

“We will have lots of specialized weight equipment/free weights as well as cardio machines,” Lindsay said. “We have something for everyone, whether you’re a serious athlete or beginner.”

Both the event space and rec center have a full security system and key-coded access for members to use the facility whenever they want.

“Our members will have a key card that they can use anytime to access High Jinks,” she said. “Our gym and rec center is open to members 24/7. The only exception to this is when the event center is rented out for a private party. Our members will not have access to the rec center, but will still have access to the gym, which has its own entrance.”

The gym has single and family memberships available. Members will also receive discounts to rent out the event space. While High Jinks members have 24-hour access to the facility, it will not be open to the general public.

“We are so excited to open High Jinks and have something new and fun for the Ellsworth community,” Lindsay said. “We look forward to getting people set up with memberships and encouraging healthy lifestyles.”