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There are many elements necessary to build a successful skating rink/family entertainment center, but one of the most crucial is the floor. That’s right, while it’s not the flashiest element of a skating rink (that would be the lighting system), the type of skating rink flooring you choose has a big impact on your customers. (Both figuratively and literally!)

To find out which one has our vote, keep reading as we delve into the differences between wood and concrete skating rinks. 

War of the Floors

While there are technically more than two types of skating rink flooring, most skaters agree that wood and concrete are far superior to the interlocking thermoplastic “court” style tiles that are sometimes used for skating. While those certainly have their place—for example, turning a gym or warehouse space into a roller derby track—they aren’t recommended for a permanent roller skating facility. Taking a tumble on a court type skating rink can be quite painful; sort of like going down a slide as a kid and getting a friction burn. Instead, you’re going to want to go with: 

Maple Hardwood

The gold standard in skating rink flooring is maple hardwood, which is what you’ll usually find at skating rinks that have been around a long time. While more expensive than concrete skating rinks, hardwood rinks offer many benefits, like: 

• Better grip/traction
• Durability (they can last as long as 50 years with proper maintenance!)
• Less painful when you wipe out
• Smoother surface finish
• Better humidity resistance
• Attractiveness

Concrete

While maple hardwood skating rinks take the cake, concrete rink floors are perfectly adequate and can offer a great skating experience with proper care. Concrete has its own pros and cons:

• It’s low cost
• Easy to install
• Slipperier, less grippy surface
• Some skaters enjoy the extra slipperiness as it makes spins and power skating easier than a wood rink

Concrete has to be poured very evenly to yield a proper skate surface, with no more than a quarter inch of variance. It requires specific cleaners in order to keep the finish in good condition, and obviously landing on concrete is going to hurt more than it would on wood because there’s no give whatsoever. 

Whatever type of skating rink flooring you choose, we’re here to help you bring your vision to life. Explore our wholesale skates and equipment, stock up on fun novelties for your redemption prize counter, and outfit your facility with everything it needs to stay safe and welcoming with rink equipment and signs. 

Good luck on your skating rink journey! For more information, contact us at info@seskate.com.

You’ve dusted the ceiling fan, washed the windows, cleaned the baseboards, and all of the other cleaning standbys … But have you given your roller skates any TLC? Don’t leave them out of the cleaning frenzy! Check out these tips to learn how (and why) to clean your roller skate wheels and bearings. 

Cleaning Skate Wheels and Bearings

First things first: Why?!

We get it, no one likes doing a chore if they don’t understand the point. However, the reason to routinely clean your skate bearings and wheels is pretty simple: It’ll keep you rolling! Regular cleaning is essential to getting the most life out of your bearings and wheels, which saves you money, not to mention allowing you to keep on doing what you love without the frustrations of blowouts, slow-spinning wheels, or ear-splitting grinding noises. Fortunately, cleaning skate bearings and wheels is super simple and won’t take you much time at all once you get in the habit. 

How to clean roller skate bearings and wheels, step-by-step

• First up, you’ll need to dismantle your skates, using a skate tool to remove the wheel and take the bearings out. Don’t use just any old piece of metal, because you could end up damaging the bearing casings. 
• Give your wheels a good scrub with warm water, mild dish soap or wheel cleaner, and a soft rag. Get in all the nooks and crannies to make sure there’s no dirt left behind to gunk up the works. (Warning: If your wheels have metal cores, don’t get them wet! You’ll want to just wipe them off so they don’t get rusty.)
• Remove the bearing covers and place your skate bearings into a small container (like a dedicated old tupperware bowl with a lid, or an empty prescription bottle) with a little bit of bearing cleaner solution. Now, to quote Andre 3000, “Shake ‘em like a Polaroid picture!”
• Once the bearings have had a nice, cleansing jostle, dry them on a lint-free cloth or paper towel. Ideally you should let them air dry for a while, but regardless, make sure they are 100% dry before you reassemble your wheels. 
• Once everything is clean and dry, drop a bit of lube onto each bearing and give them a spin. They should roll smoothly. 
• Replace the bearing covers and reassemble the wheels before putting them back on your skates. Ta da! You did it, and you’re ready to hit the skating rink again. 

If your bearings are worn out and don’t spin well, it may be time to replace them. Your local skating pro shop is always a great place to get advice on skating equipment and purchase whatever you need. We are proud to supply local skating rinks all over the country with high quality roller skates, skating equipment, and skating rink supplies!

Some areas have begun rolling back coronavirus restrictions and allowing businesses to re-open. While this is an exciting time for all of the family entertainment centers that are eagerly anticipating getting back to business, it can also be quite stressful to figure out the logistics of doing so. If you’re worried about how to re-open safely, you’re not alone! 

As a business owner, you should have a well-thought-out plan for when you do re-open your family entertainment center or roller skating rink. Fortunately, there are ways you can help protect the health of your employees and customers. Take a look at these things to consider before you re-open, and use them to create a detailed safety plan tailored for your unique FEC.

Tips for Safely Re-Opening FECs

• Keep the safety of your customers and staff a TOP PRIORITY in every decision. If in doubt, err on the side of caution.
• How are you going to sanitize your facility? Take into consideration all areas and surfaces that customers come into contact with—indoor playgrounds, ball pits, arcade games, lockers, rental skates, etc. Create a detailed plan of how often to sanitize, who will do it, and exactly which products and processes will be used. Make sure your staff is well-trained on these new procedures and that they have what they need to comply. 
• Implement social distancing and enforce it as much as possible. For instance, tape out 6-foot markers for areas that tend to draw lines or crowds, like the ticket booth, concessions stand, and skate rental counter. 
• Make social distancing possible by limiting crowds. Too many people in any confined space equals a recipe for infection, so keep the maximum capacity lower than you usually would.
• Provide face masks to employees and encourage customers to wear masks for entry.
• Try to limit contact as much as possible: Opt for pre-purchases for admission online, switch to touchless payment methods, and install plexiglass partitions between customers and employees where possible. (Again, think ticket window, concessions, skate rental, prize counter, etc.)
• Make hand sanitizing stations readily available.
• Communicate to your customers exactly how you plan to keep them safe! Use your social media channels, email newsletter, and other digital means to let customers know what you’re doing. Videos are great, but even just a simple Facebook post can give customers the confidence to trust that they can visit safely. Don’t forget to also utilize in-house signs to display cleanliness and safety policies. 
• Consider breaking up your day into capped skate sessions with a certain number of people allowed in each session, followed by 30 minutes in between sessions to allow for cleaning and sanitization. 

What are your main concerns as you prepare to re-open your business during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic? We’d love to hear from you about how you’re tackling these new challenges at your skating rink or FEC.

With several weeks of closures underway and, at least in some areas, no end in sight, it’s a stressful time to be a business owner… Especially in the family entertainment industry. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, just know that you’re not alone. 

We always strive to be a resource for skating rink owners, so today, instead of telling you about the latest skate releases or skating rink marketing ideas, we’d like to share some ways to de-stress at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopefully these ideas can help you find some calm during this stressful time. 

Tips for Business Owners: How to De-Stress During the Pandemic

If you’ve been watching the news or browsing social media (and what else is there to do right now?) you’ve probably seen stories of all the people who are baking bread, making fancy coffee, and going viral with TikTok dances. It can seem as though everyone is posting videos of themselves working out, finishing projects, learning new skills, or having picture-perfect quarantine fun with their kids. But for everyone who is publically thriving, just know that there are many others who are struggling. 

It’s normal for your feelings about the situation to change minute to minute, and you don’t have to always be “OK.” In fact, according to licensed mental health counselor Aleya Littleton, it’s not just OK, it’s actually downright necessary to allow yourself to feel your feelings during this time.  Says Littleton, “Don’t judge yourself for wanting to burn it all and run away. Just feel it. The emotions will all peak and subside.” Practicing mindfulness can make a big difference at times like this, so check out these mindfulness and stress relief tips and see what works for you.

Experience nature.

Whether you’re able to go to a local park for a walk or just get out into your backyard, take some time (ideally each day) to get outside in nature. Don’t distract yourself with music or your phone; just be present. Notice details like the shapes of the clouds, the smell of the air, the buzz of bees around flowers, the feel of the sun and breeze on your skin. According to a recent study published in Science Daily, just 20 minutes spent in contact with nature can lower your stress hormone levels.

Do a body scan.

Don’t worry, we’re not suggesting a costly visit to your doctor. This type of body scan is simply a mindfulness meditation technique to help you feel more grounded and present in your body. If you have 8 minutes, try this body scan meditation and see how you feel.  

Breathe. 

Another important mindfulness practice that can help you decrease stress is deep breathing. There are lots of resources available online to help you learn breathing exercises for focus and stress relief. This WebMD article is a good place to start, or if you prefer visualization, check out these calming breathing gifs. 

We hope these tips help while we wait for the world to return to normal. Hang in there and remember to breathe!

We realize that this is a difficult time for most of our customers, but we do want to let everyone know where we stand in case you have questions.

Some of you are working on maintenance or repair projects in your rink:

Roll-On – Right now they have a good supply of all of their floor coatings and are shipping fairly quickly.

Shoe Deodorizer – We received a new shipment of the shoe deodorizer that many rinks use.  This
product has been certified to kill the Corona Virus.  This isn’t on the packaging, they didn’t get
certification early enough, but it is on their website.  We have some in stock, but not a lot, so we
are currently limiting rinks to one case per order, to help make sure everyone gets a shot.

Scenturion Deodorizer – All three sizes are now in stock.

Some customers are doing curbside skate sales.  We have outdoor inline skates in stock (although the selection is getting pretty limited) and we have quad outdoor wheels in stock.  We can ship these to your rink or we could ship straight to your customer’s house.

This is the time of the year when traditionally the skate manufacturers would start to release info on new products that are coming out.  The Corona situation and the rescheduling of the RSA Convention has put a delay on that, at least for now.  As soon as we do have more product information we’ll share it with everyone.

The annual tradeshow that we host has a tentative date of October 5 and 6.  Obviously things are very tentative at this stage.  But if the Corona Virus situation improves, if it is safe and practical to host an event at that point, then October 5 and 6 are what we’re hoping for.  So mark your calendars, but don’t buy a plane ticket yet.

Skating rinks across the country are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and skaters are missing their usual outlet for the community, socializing, exercise, and stress-relief that roller skating provides. While we all hope that rinks will be able to safely reopen soon, you don’t have to wait to skate! With a few tweaks to your gear and some tips from your friends at Southeastern Skate Supply, you’ll be ready to add outdoor skating to your list of quaran-tivities. 

Outdoor Skating 101: What to Know

Change your wheels.

Got a pair of roller skates? If so, you’re already on your way! You can use the same skates to skate indoors and outdoors, but you’ll need to change your skate wheels before you can hit the streets (or driveway, path, etc.). 

Outdoor skate wheels are typically wider and softer than indoor skate wheels, allowing your wheels to absorb shock from uneven surfaces like sidewalks. While that shock absorption is not important (and can even be detrimental) on a smooth, well-maintained indoor skating rink, it’s extremely important when you’re skating “out in the wild” and might encounter cracks, bumps, plant debris, or pebbles. 

If you own a skating rink and are looking for ways to continue generating revenue during the pandemic shutdown, let your customers know that you can still sell them outdoor skate wheels and other equipment to help them get started skating outside. We have a great selection of skate wheels available for wholesale purchase by FECs. 

Protect yourself with safety gear.

Skating outside is a little more hazardous than skating at an indoor skating rink, and the surfaces you’ll encounter if you fall down will probably hurt more than the smooth rink floor, too. Protect yourself from rough concrete and pavement, not to mention possible accidents, by wearing a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards. 

Remember the rules. 

While the prospect of getting out of the house probably fills you with joy (we’re with you), don’t forget the usual safety rules for outdoor activities, as well as the current guidelines for social distancing and any other directives from the CDC, WHO, or local health department.

As a skating rink or FEC owner, this is an incredibly challenging time, but it is heartening to see the ways communities are coming together to support local businesses. It’s important to let your community know that you’re still here, you have services to offer, and you need their support. 

Use your social media, local news sites or publications, and any other marketing avenue at your disposal to let customers know that you can help them get the outdoor skating equipment they need to stay active! Facilitate online and/or over the phone ordering, and offer curbside pickup or shipping. And don’t forget to look around at what your fellow FECs are doing for inspiration, like these awesome “to-go” birthday party packages. 

As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, businesses all over the country are closed and small business owners are wondering how to keep the lights on during these uncertain times. If you own an FEC (family entertainment center), you are likely in this position as well. Our thoughts go out to everyone who has been affected by COVID-19, from the patients and medical professionals to small businesses and employees who are being furloughed. 

While this pandemic poses a major challenge to the family entertainment industry, it is also providing an opportunity for FECs to get creative and diversify their revenue streams. If your customers have the means right now, many are willing to help out the local businesses that they know and love. Keep reading to learn how to generate revenue without foot traffic. 

Ways to Generate Revenue During COVID-19 Pandemic Closures

Offer Takeout or Delivery Food Service

If you have a kitchen that can produce pizza, sandwiches, and other entrees, put it to use for food delivery or curbside pickup. This is a great way to not only generate some revenue while you’re closed, but also to provide your employees with some working hours, no matter how limited they may be.

Encourage Online Sales

If you’re not already on the e-commerce train, it’s time to catch up! While you’re closed for the pandemic, get your online pro shop up and running so you can sell skates, equipment, and accessories to your customers. 

You should also be encouraging your supporters to purchase gift cards, deals, or promotions for future use once you’re able to re-open. Many folks are looking for ways to support local businesses, but they are being bombarded by a huge number of appeals. In order to get their attention and their dollars, make sure that you’re delivering your very best when it comes to social media content. Use your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, (and maybe even TikTok) accounts to engage with them and foster a sense of community. 

Sell Birthday Party Fun Packs

Social distancing is hard for all of us, but it’s a real bummer for kids who don’t understand why their birthday parties are cancelled! Fortunately the birthday fun doesn’t have to stop just because of social distancing. Bill Farley, of Cary, North Carolina skating rink Jellybeans has done a fantastic job of this, basically condensing a party package into a “to-go” format. 

These Party Packs include frozen pizzas, place settings, party decorations, and everything you need for a celebration at home with your quarantine crew. Plus, they even throw in a roll of toilet paper! 

Not only are these party packs a fun idea for families dealing with isolation, but they also give you an opportunity to keep your brand top-of-mind among your customers. Now is not the time to slack on your digital marketing efforts—you want people ready and excited to visit your FEC as soon as it’s safe (and legal) to open your doors again.  

Rethink How You Sell Skate Passes

Put your downtime to good use by creating (or refining) a plan for your skate sessions. Online sales aren’t just great for revenue right now, they’re also a clever way to limit person-to-person contact when you reopen. Work on setting up an e-comm option for skate passes and plan to keep using it once doors reopen. Market your new, contact-free way to purchase passes now, so your customers feel confident choosing you when they begin revisiting facilities. To maximize profits now and later, take some time to plan how you’ll run skating sessions–from guest caps to weekly specials to keep things fun–when the world goes back offline.

If there are tasks you’ve been putting off, like cleaning up your email database, compiling lists of local organizations to reach out to, or submitting your business to local directories, blogs, and listings, this is your chance to check off all of those “to-do’s.”

We hope some of these ideas for ways to generate revenue without foot traffic were helpful! Be safe, and good luck!

This has certainly been a trying time for the skating world.  Most rinks are closed, and we realize that many of our customers are struggling right now.  We do want to try to keep everyone informed on what’s going on here, and what we can do to try to help.  Because things are so uncertain right now, any dates are even more subject to change than they typically would be.

We have been out of the basic shoe deodorizer for some time now.  Obviously, their factory has been slammed. We did get more of the Scenturion spray in and all three sizes of that are currently available.  The factory that makes our basic deodorizer has informed us that they have a small shipment coming to us soon.  This is a slightly different version than what we’ve had in the past.  The newer product will go down a little wetter than the older version due to environmental rule changes.  The good news is that this new version has been certified effective against the Corona Virus.  This is NOT on the packaging, they didn’t get certified in time, but it is on their website and they have the paperwork to back it up.  We will be getting a small shipment (supplies are still very limited) about April 10.  Because this is in high demand and we’re only getting a small portion of what we ordered, we are limiting customers to one case.  Hopefully we’ll get a full shipment soon, but for now we’re limiting orders to one case per customer.

A lot of rinks are using this time to work on their skate floors.  Roll-On had been out of stock on some of their coatings, but we talked to them and the Roll-On Clear and Blue are both back in stock.  Traction is out of stock now, but they should be back in stock on that in two weeks (approximately April 15).

The RSA Convention was pushed back to August due to the Corona situation.  This has traditionally been the season when we would start to see new products that are coming out soon.  The timing of everything is very much up in the air right now.  We will do our best to use the internet (email, facebook, twitter, etc.) to keep you informed of new info as it becomes available.  We know of a new budget rental skate that looks exciting as well as several resale skates that should become available in the fall.

We saw this idea from Bill Farley at Jellybeans in Cary NC and thought it was a winner.  A lot of rinks are looking for ways to stay busy during the Corona Virus and this seems like a good one.  Also, we saw it one day after our son’s tenth birthday, so maybe it hit close to home.  Anyway, Bill says we’re free to share it with others, so we thought we would.  We’ve copied his idea below, obviously you’d be free to adjust as necessary.

If your rink is doing something different during the quarantines, please feel free to post your ideas in the comment section to this post on our facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/southeasternskate/) and we’ll try to help each other with winning ideas during difficult times.

 

Birthday parties still happen even with the new normal of social distancing. Jellybeans is here to help you celebrate with this one stop solution and a great value. Call us at 919-467-5283 M-F from 10-1PM to purchase with a credit card over the phone and schedule pick-up same day from 1-3PM (no contact for payment or pick-up).

You’re rolling along, wind in your hair, not a care in the world. And then: OUCH! There’s something wrong with your foot. It’s time to take off your skate and see what’s causing that pain. Just like any other type of footwear, it’s possible to get blisters or other painful foot issues from roller skates, usually due to improper fit. If you notice any pain while roller skating, check out these tips to help you identify the problem. (And since we’re not doctors, please consult yours if you experience pain that can’t be solved with any of these quick fixes!) 

How to Prevent Pain or Blisters from Roller Skating

If you’ve ever broken in a new pair of shoes or gotten your feet wet while running, you’ve probably experienced the pain of a blister. While small and relatively harmless if treated properly, they can really hurt, taking a lot of the fun out of skating. 

Make sure you’re wearing well-fitted skates.

Wearing improperly sized skates is just begging for blisters. If your skates are too big, they’ll slide all around your foot, causing friction. If they’re too small, they’ll rub all of the areas where they’re too tight. The best way to find your perfectly sized skates is to visit your local skating rink’s pro shop for guidance. 

Step up your sock game.

One of the easiest ways to manage foot pain from roller skating is to wear good socks. You can either wear a thick pair of socks, or if needed, layer two pairs. This will add a layer of padding that should help to mitigate the friction causing your blisters. Be sure to choose moisture-wicking, breathable socks to keep your feet as dry as possible!

Develop a thick (mole)skin.

Moleskin is sold in sheets at pharmacies, and is invaluable when it comes to banishing blisters. You can cut a shape to fit over the part of your skate boot that is chafing, and the soft moleskin fabric will pad and protect the area. Plus, once you try it, you’ll want to use it on all of your less-than-comfortable shoes, from leather dress shoes to formal heels. 

Break your skates in slowly. 

Another common malady for skaters is tongue bite or lace bite. There are a couple of main causes of lace bite, and one is skating for a long time after a period of not skating, or skating in new skates for a long time without working up to it and breaking them in. To avoid it, wear your skates around your house for a little while each day, working up from a few minutes to half an hour or more. When you skate, warm up with your new skates, then switch back to your older pair for the rest of the session. 

Lace your skates differently.

The other cause of lace bite is tight or improper lacing of the skate boot, which puts excessive pressure on the top of the foot and can cause pain and soreness. This is an easy fix, as all you need to do is re-lace your skates! There are several lacing techniques to prevent lace bite, so see which one works for you. 

Hopefully one or more of these tricks can help you solve your skating problem and get back on a roll. Happy skating!