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We received a good shipment of Vanilla Junior skates last week and a second shipment just arrived. We haven’t unpacked the second one yet, but once we do, then we should be in pretty good shape on the Vanilla Junior skates, at least for a bit. These are still VERY hot items, we’re going to have to limit orders to our existing customers until they’ve had a chance to get some. But hopefully we will have almost all sizes and colors in stock once this second shipment is put up.

Sure-Grip has a new quad outdoor wheel called the Oasis that just arrived. These are priced lower than some of the other quad outdoor wheels, and they’re arriving just as the weather is starting to warm up for outdoor skating in much of the country. They are 57mm wheels, 82A hardness, in green or yellow.

Supplies remain pretty limited on a lot of the other items we carry. We met with one of the larger manufacturers and they’re telling us that factories are still backed up in the Pacific. Containers are hard to find. Space on boats is limited. Costs are going up. They do not anticipate this getting better any time real soon. Here are some items that are available right now. . .

Inline Skates – Q60, Explorer, Alpha 110mm and Alpha 125mm are all in good supply.

Stomp 5 in black (sz 4, 5, 6, 7) red (sz 4, 5), or green (sz 4, 9).

Heart Throb in Black (sz 1, 3, 4, 5, 6) or Red (sz 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).

ATA600 Purple in sizes 6, 7, 8.

In youth skates, we have good supplies of the Comet, Charger, or Scout skates. Also we have the Lucy and Ella adjustable quads.

Revive Light Up speed skates in black (sz 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) or white (sz 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Supplies are limited on a lot of items right now, so we thought we’d send out a list of items that are actually in stock and available to ship.  Hopefully you’ll see something in here that would be helpful.

 

Lucy and Ella – Adjustable youth quad skates, both sizes of both models are in stock.

XT70 – Another adjustable youth quad skate, both sizes of both colors are in stock.

170RS – Sure-Grip’s nicer rental skate.  A lot of rentals are sold out, but we have this leather rental skate in sizes 3-16.

Stardust – Pink sizes 3-9 and black sizes 7-11.  A colorful outdoor hightop.

Explorer, Q60, Alpha 110, and Alpha 125 – Each of these are inline skates, all sizes in each model currently in stock.

Aero – A newer very traditional looking quad speed skate.  Sizes 4-12.

GT50 – One of the most popular quad skates ever.  The black version is in stock from 1-13, plus the 15 (sorry, but no 14 right now).

Prism – A hightop quad from Sure-Grip with a colorful shiny boot.  Pink or silver, sizes 5-10.

Fame – WHITE version in sizes 10Jr-11 adult.  The black in sizes 4 and smaller right now, but there is a shipment on the way, hopefully next week, that should get us some black in the bigger sizes.

Spinner – The new one from Roller Grl, very similar to the Rewind, a solid black hightop, sizes 3-12.

Driftr – The step up from the Spinner, a very nice solid black hightop.  Sizes 3-12 in stock.

772 Candi Girl – Black with Teal wheels – sizes 4-10 in stock.

For outdoor wheels, we currently have a nice selection of Boardwalk, Aerobic, or Stardust wheels in stock.  With spring coming on strong, these could get real popular real fast, so we can’t make promises.  But right now we have almost all versions of each of these wheels in stock.

Vanilla has been very hard to keep in stock.  But we do have some of their Renegade skates available.  Not many of any of these, but if you’re looking for Vanilla, we have the pink (sz 3, 4, 5, 6), red (sz 5), blue (sz 5), or yellow (sz 5, 12).

 

We just received a big shipment from Roller Derby that was mainly the Candi Girl skates.  Here is an update on where we stand with these popular and colorful skates.

 

Lucy – An adjustable skate with the pineapple design.  Small fits 12J-2, medium fits 3-6.  Plenty of both sizes are now in stock.

772 Sabina Black with Rose Gold.  These are brand new, they just arrived.  Sizes 3-10 are now in stock.

772 Sabina Hologram Blue.  These are also brand new, they just arrived.  Sizes 3-10 are now in stock.

772 Sabina Mint with Black.  These are also brand new, they just arrived.  Sizes 3-10 are now in stock.

774 Driftr.  These have been out for a few months and have been very popular.  Sizes 4-12 are now back in stock.

774 Carlin Green and Blue.  These are brand new, they just arrived.  Sizes 3-11 are now in stock.

In addition to the ones above that just arrived, we went in with Roller Derby to bring back the 772 black with teal and the 774 seafoam versions.  These were the two most popular versions of the original Candi Girl skates and when we heard they were being phased out we asked Roller Derby if they would continue to make them exclusively for Southeastern Skate.

Plus Pacer has come out with some other versions for the distributors called the Roller Girl line, which have been very popular.  The Ella skates are similar to the Lucy, but with a unicorn and donut design.  We have a good supply of these skates in stock right now.

They’re also doing the Lilly and Astra skates as part of the Roller Girl line.  Most sizes of these are in stock now, but a few sizes are getting pretty limited.  We’re hoping to get more soon.  Plus they have the solid black Spinner skates (similar to the original Rewind) and we have a good supply of those in stock now.

In addition to all of that, there are a few versions that are coming soon.  There will be a reintroduction of the Rewind skate, a blue and burgundy version of the 774 Carlin as well as a peach and pink version of the 774 Carlin.  As soon as we get those in stock we’ll be sure to let everyone know.

Finally, on a totally different product, we now have the replacement straps for their inline rental skates back in stock.

Here are the latest inventory updates. . .

We received a shipment from Pacer with some of their GTX-500 skates. We are now back in stock in the following versions:
Black with Pink sz 5, 6, 7, 10
Black with Lime Green sz 5, 6, 7
Black with Teal sz 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10

From Sure-Grip we received a shipment with the following now back in stock:
Stardust Pink sz 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Stardust Black sz 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Cyclone Black sz 7, 8, 9, 10

The last Vanilla shipment didn’t last very long, but we do have some sizes and colors still available:
Code Blue sz 3, 4, 5
Stealth sz 3, 4, 5
Code Red sz 3, 4, 6, 13
Junior Mint sz 4
Zona Rosa sz 3, 4, 6, 11, 12
Tuxedo sz 3, 4
Silver sz 3, 4, 5

The following dates are all VERY tentative, but here is what we’re hoping for:
Vanilla Junior – more late March or early April
Roller Derby – new colors in the Candi Girl line by March 10
Roller Derby – straps for the inline rental skates by March 15

It’s hard to believe that we’ve officially passed the one-year mark since COVID shutdowns began across the US. During that time, many small businesses—including skating rinks and other FECs—had to temporarily close their doors, and now most places are still operating at a fraction of their former capacity in order to minimize the risk of exposure for staff and guests. Even with protections in place, the death toll has exceeded 540,000, making 2020 one of the deadliest years in US history. Saying it’s been a rough year is the understatement of the century, but despite all of the stress, confusion, and heartbreak, there are some lessons we can take away as small business owners.   

Lessons from the Year of COVID

Your Network Is Your Net Worth

This saying has been around for a long time, but if the last year has shown us anything, it’s that community and connection are precious resources! Maintaining that connection with customers is crucial, and it has been wonderful to see how people have continued to support their local skating rinks even when they couldn’t skate in person. You can continue to leverage that community support by selling gift certificates for future use, marketing your private rink rentals, and encouraging pro shop sales of skates, equipment, and accessories.  

Your Online Presence is Key

Even before the pandemic, it was clear that businesses need a strong web presence in order to remain relevant and reach customers where they are—online. The last year has made it even more crucial to stay (or get) up to date with online marketing and e-commerce, in order to maintain your relationship with your customers and continue making sales online.

While by no means an exhaustive list, these are some of the key digital marketing tips to remember. 

• Keep your website and social media up to date with your current hours, events, and other important information. 
• Use social media to connect with your customers and build relationships, not just to push sales. 
• Keep your Google and other search engine listings up to date. These days many folks don’t even click through to websites—they just look at the knowledge panels that come up with a search, so it’s crucial that you’re providing the correct info.  
• Monitor your online reviews on Google, Yelp, Facebook, etc. 

Customer Service is Still King

Speaking of online reviews, customer service is still so important for FECs and all small businesses. If your capacity is limited, it’s a great time to brush up on hospitality and customer service with your team. Every interaction is valuable, even when someone has negative feedback. Sometimes you’ll hear a perspective you hadn’t thought of, an idea that could improve the customer experience, or maybe even create a loyal fan by handling the situation with professionalism.

Roller Derby has discontinued many of the Candi Girl skates.  They’re coming out with new skates and new colors (including the Lilly and the Astra) to replace the original U772 and U774 Candi Girl skates that were so popular.

 

A lot of our customers really liked the original versions of the Candi Girl, so we’ve persuaded them to make a batch of the original versions just for Southeastern Skate Supply.  We just received a new shipment of the U774 Candi Girl in Seafoam and the U772 Candi Girl in Black with Teal Wheels.  Both of these skates are now back in stock and ready to ship.

We’ve received several good shipments over the last week.  Here are some highlights. . .

 

Scout – A good shipment came in, we now have everything except the pink sz 5 and the black sz 6.

 

Lilly – We have at least a few of everything now except the Mint sz 3 and 10.

 

Spinr – This is the solid black Roller Girl model that’s very similar to the Rewind.  All sizes are now in stock.

 

Vintage Rentals – A quad rental skate at an amazing price.  All sizes are now in stock.

 

Vanilla Junior – We got in a good shipment, but we had a lot of backorders for these.   Right now we have a lot of sizes and colors in stock, not all of them, but much better than we have recently had.  Because these are so limited, first priority will have to be to our existing customers.

 

There are several other shipments on the way to us now.  At some point next week we hope to get more of the GT50, Stardust, Cyclone, and Lucy skates.  There is bad weather across the country right now, so these shipments might be delayed, but we’re hoping to see them at some point next week.    More details on those as soon as they arrive.

Here are the latest inventory updates. . .

Driftr Skates – We just received a new batch, and all sizes are now back in stock. This is a high top quad with a very black look. The boots and wheels are both solid black and it gives this a good look. We also have the Spinr skates in stock, which is the newer version of the Rewind black high top that was so popular.

We are expecting a new shipment of the GT50 skates later today or possibly tomorrow (Feb 5). We don’t have all the details yet on this shipment, but hopefully this will get us all sizes of the black GT50 for the first time in a long time.

We are also expecting a big shipment of Vanilla Junior skates very soon. We don’t have any firm details on this one yet as far as exactly what we’ll be receiving, but several weeks ago they indicated that this would be a big shipment that should fill most of the holes in our inventory. As soon as we know more on this we’ll let everyone know.

On each of these shipments, the first priority will be to fill the existing backorders. Then we will open them up to existing customers that want to place new orders.

While roller skating is a perpetual classic, there’s no denying that some moments in skating history are bigger than others… Like the roller skating trend that has taken TikTok by storm for the past year! A young, tech-savvy generation of skaters has taken the sport from their local skating rinks and sidewalks to screens all over the world thanks to social media apps like TikTok and Instagram. This roller skating resurgence has not only sparked renewed interest in skating but has even powered a boom in roller skate sales. But are you taking the best advantage possible of this trend to help you market your skating rink? 

Don’t miss out on this silver lining of the pandemic; learn how to harness the roller skating trend with these skating rink marketing tips.

How to Capitalize on the Roller Skating Trend to Market Your Skating Rink

Get on TikTok and Instagram.

You can’t join a party if you’re not where the party is. To get the most out of the skating trend, your skating rink needs a social media presence on TikTok and Instagram. Facebook still has a place in online marketing, but in order to reach a youth demographic, you need to meet them on their turf.  

Create fun content. 

One of the biggest obstacles most family entertainment centers cite for not marketing via social media is that it’s hard to come up with enough quality content. It’s a real concern, as it can be a full-time job just coming up with ideas! But that’s what is so great about using TikTok for business: The ideas are built-in! 

Part of what makes TikTok so popular is that it’s all about putting your own spin on existing trends. You don’t have to be super creative to succeed—you can just add your own twist to the latest dance trend or meme. By creating fun, engaging content, you can also get potential customers interested in your events or drive sales of those trendy skates in your pro shop.

Try teaming up with a micro-influencer. 

We’ve all heard of “influencers”—social media celebrities with massive followings who make a living off of product placement, with brands sometimes paying over half a million dollars for a single post from big names like Kylie Jenner or Dwayne Johnson. Of course, for most of us FEC owners, that kind of exposure is out of reach… But it’s also unnecessary. Instead, consider working with micro-influencers or nano-influencers. These smaller influencers don’t have nearly the reach, but the great thing is that you can likely find—and afford—a micro-influencer in your area. Micro-influencers may have anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 followers, while nano-influencers have less than 1,000. But the followers they do have are usually a very specific group of people. These are just a few ideas to help you find micro-influencers to promote your skating rink:

• Local or regional bloggers, especially “mommy bloggers”
• Local media personalities like news anchors, sports broadcasters, or radio hosts
• Local celebrities like city council members, pastors, or community leaders
• Local musicians, actors, or creatives

How are you harnessing the popularity of roller skating to market your skating rink? Get creative and feel free to share your ideas!

Pacer’s Vintage rentals just arrived.  They are in sizes 12 Jr through 12 adult.  The Vintage Rental has retro graphics and a very traditional design.  The price is also very retro, and will be competitive with any rental out there, even the used ones some vendors are selling.

 

At a great low price per pair these are a great way to spruce up your rental fleet with brand new skates just as people are starting to come back out of the lockdown.  These skates are an excellent way to create a good impression with customers you haven’t seen in a long time.