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The new catalogs and price lists are back from the printers. We are working on a big mailing.  Most of them left here yesterday, the remainder should be very soon.  If you’d like extra copies of the catalogs to hand out to your customers, just let us know with your next order.

We also have some new posters from Bones.  If you use posters to decorate and promote your skate shop, ask for a new batch with your next order and we’ll get them out for you.

We will be exhibiting at the RSA Convention in Las Vegas on May 15 and 16.  If you’re attending the show, please stop by our booth.  Also consider attending the Sure-Grip / Pacer Annual Party on the 15th at 8PM.  We help sponsor that event, there is usually some good food and music, and it is free.

We have two different designs for birthday party table settings.  The skates with mirror ball design has been around for some time and remains incredibly popular.  But we also now have a newer design that shows skates, balloons, and says “party time” in big letters.  Either of these designs look great in a skating rink and they’re a very affordable way to help make your birthday parties stand out.

Skate Mate Trainers are a great way to help younger customers learn to skate and build up their confidence.  They have been backordered for a few weeks as the manufacturer ran out of a couple of the parts.  They’ve just sent us an update and it sounds like the backorders should start shipping out very soon.  We thank you for your patience as he replenishes his inventory.

The 2018 Catalogs are finally here.  They just unloaded them.

We’ll mail copies out to all customers starting on Monday.  If you would like extras to hand out to customers, not a problem, we’ve got plenty.  Just ask for a pack when you place your next order.

If you would like to view the catalogs online, or download a pdf copy, just go to https://seskate.com/wholesale-equipment/skates/catalog/

We also have a new poster from Powell-Bones, so if you use posters, and you haven’t updated recently, now is a great time.

A good concession stand can be a great boon to your skating rink’s bottom line–but a bad one can be a huge turnoff for your customers and actually drive business away. Make the most of the concession stand at your family entertainment center with these tips from Southeastern Skate:

• Advertise! Your customers and potential customers have to know that you serve food before they can make plans to enjoy it. Advertise inside your center as well as in your outside advertising.
• Select foods with care and consideration. You may want to focus on items that can be cooked quickly to avoid long lines and hungry patrons waiting for food. You can’t go wrong providing food options that are healthy as well as fresh and tasty (no sad, wilted salads please!) to appeal to more people. Consider soliciting customer feedback to learn what options your patrons are looking for.
• Continue asking for customer feedback! You always want to know what your customers like and where you and your staff can make improvements.
• Don’t neglect to train your staff to take care of your concession stand. Not only do they need to understand how to cook, clean, and operate all of your equipment safely, but they’ll need to understand how to present food in an attractive way. The tastiest fries in the world won’t look appetizing on a sad little plate. And of course, train your staff to offer service with a smile.

A concession stand can make or break your family entertainment center. Your business plan should definitely not neglect this vital part of your income!

As a small business owner, you’re always looking for ways to get involved in your community–or at least you should be. At Southeastern Skate Supply we know that members of your community are also your customers and potential customers. National Volunteer Week is right around the corner, from April 15th to April 21st, so use this time to further your community involvement.

Does your business offer fundraisers? If not, consider adding that option to your party packages! If you already do offer them, take a hard look at how and where they are or aren’t working. Do the organizers find them easy and pleasant? Do they actually raise money for the organization? How do they fit in with your business plan and impact your bottom line? With a little effort and time spent asking the right questions, you can improve the fundraising experience for everyone.

Sponsor a volunteer day for your staff. Find a local nonprofit that everyone can agree on (skip religious or political organizations to be safe), and schedule a time. Of course, you can’t force your employees to participate, but offering pay or equivalent PTO will go a long way towards encouraging participation. Paying people to volunteer may seem like an oxymoron, but think of it as your company donating time.

And don’t forget to get involved yourself! Ultimately the face of your family entertainment center should be you. Lead your team to do right by their community and the members of your community will be encouraged to do right by your business.

We will be at two different upcoming meetings.  If you’re able to attend either of these, please stop by and visit with us.

RSA Chapter Meeting – Indian Trail NC – April 9-10
RSA Tradeshow and Convention – Las Vegas NV – Southpoint Hotel – May 15-16

At the Las Vegas meeting, we will also be helping to sponsor the Sure-Grip / Roller Derby Customer Appreciation Party May 15 at 8PM.  This is always one of the highlights of the annual convention so please mark that time down on your calendar so you don’t miss it.

The digital version of our new catalog is now available.  You can view it or download a copy at https://seskate.com/wholesale-equipment/skates/catalog/.  The paper version is getting close and as soon as they are ready we’ll be sure to let everyone know.

The Dominion Skate company went out of business a few years back.  But we still have most sizes of the D278 Esprit skate available.  This is a great entry-level quad art skate.  We have these sizes in stock:

White – sizes 8J through 10 adult (all sizes)
Black – sizes 8J through 4 and also 7 through 11

Click here for a digital copy of the new skate catalog.

We have two different skates that are being phased out, so we’re running a new closeout special on them.  You can pass the extra price savings on to your customers or use it for extra margin.  Either way is fine, we just need to move some skates out to make room for new models that will be coming. . .

RD Elite Revolution – Extra durable Tuff Scuff Toe Protection on the boots and a real durable plate makes these skates a good candidate for speed rental use.  Or use them for resale, as the distinctive red-white-blue wheel design really lets them stand out on your display counter.  Black boots, sizes 4-12.

Elite Stomp 5 – These have been a pretty good seller, we were a little surprised to hear that they’re being closed out.  The black version comes in sizes 4-12.  The green, pink or red versions come in sizes 4-11.

We now carry a line of promo items that can help advertise your business.  Some of the more popular items include:

Wooden Nickels – Great for handing out as prize tokens after a game, you can print the item being given away on one side (i.e. free pizza) and the classic wooden nickel graphic on the other side.  Or hand them out at local events with your rink website or address to give the future customers a way to remember you.

Pencils – Hand these out after school parties to help them remember the fun time they had.  Or donate some to a local school to give out to their students as a way to get your foot in the door with a school system.

Cake Knives – Use these to cut the cake at a birthday party and then let the parents take it home with them as a reminder of how great their child’s birthday party was.

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