By TAYLOR BROWN
When the historic Elks lodge was sold at auction last year, Mon Valley residents were curious of what would become of the 115-year-old building on Fallowfield Avenue.
It closed suddenly last August and sold in an auction several weeks later for $27,250 to an anonymous bidder.
One year later, a Charleroi business owner has turned the ornate three-story structure into a dojang — a Korean training hall for martial arts.
Moke’s Martial Arts owner Chuck Balieu of Speers purchased the building July 8 and has transformed the space into his new training facility.
Balieu decided to start training on his own about two years ago. In January, he left his job as a senior business analyst to teach martial arts full time.
“I would work all day and teach classes at night,” he said. “I finally left the corporate world to pursue my dream.”
The first dojang, in a small space behind Citizens Bank in Charleroi, quickly became too small and he moved into a second, bigger location on McKean Avenue.
Little did he know that another year later he would need more room.
One of his instructors found the listing for the Elks lodge, and Balieu realized it had potential.
“Unfortunately, I did not know it was up for auction last year, so I purchased it from the woman who won the auction,” he said.
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