On a roll: Local couple to open roller skating rink in Manchester
Sep. 14—Get ready to roll back in time with a new roller skating rink opening in the Queen City.
The number of rinks have drastically decreased in the past 20 years, and a Google search doesn't show any commercial venues in New Hampshire.
Kelly and Matt Pearson, owners of Cowabunga's indoor play space on Huse Road, hope to open REMIX Roller Skate and Event Center at 725 Huse Road. The plaza is also home to Cowabunga's, Chunky's Cinema Pub and Planet Fitness.
REMIX will be a modern take on the retro pastime, which they say is a "Social Drink Rink." The place is expected to hire about 30 people and plans to open by the Christmas holiday break.
"We've seen a lot of things come and go and a lot of things coming back," Matt Pearson said. "It was always a dream of us to do a roller rink."
The couple initially looked to do a big expansion of Cowabunga's, which they opened six years ago and features an indoor inflatable park designed for those 10 and under. It also features a LEGO creation station, oversized games and arcade games.
"We just wanted to make Cowabunga's bigger and offer more stuff," Matt Pearson said.
He said they recognized a need for entertainment for all ages and did a feasibility study on opening a rink.
"We said, 'This certainty will be fun, but will it be viable,'" Pearson said.
The project is expected to cost up to $800,000, according to city building permits.
Rolling skating venues slowly faded away in the Granite State throughout the 2010s with Good Times Roller Skating Center in Merrimack closing in 2005 and Skate Escape, a roller skating rink on Court Street in downtown Laconia, closing after a fire in 2013.
Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig remembers skating at Bedford Grove and Happy Wheels.
"We'll now have a great state-of-the-art community space with roller skating, food and drinks in our city, and it also brings jobs and so much more," Craig said in a statement. "My only question is, 'When am I going to lace up my skates and meet our Manchester neighbors on the rink?'"
Pop-up events do happen at different places across the state.
Experience-based entertainment continues to grow with ax-throwing and other activities also on the rise.
'Remixed' rink
A lot will be crammed into the new 11,000-square-foot space, which the Pearsons call a "boutique experience." The space in the building, a former Lowe's Home Improvement, has never been developed.
"It's roller skating in a new and unique way," Pearson said. The cost will be $20 for two hours of skating with rentals.
The maple wood floor for skating will take up more than two thirds of the space. The Pearsons hired US Design Lab, a family entertainment center design service, in creating the space.
The rink will be smaller than most from the 1970s-1990s, but will feature ticketed time to keep crowds down. Rentals will include roller skates and blades.
The space will feature state-of-the-art sound and lighting effects systems and laser shows. A mirror ball cluster will be installed above the rink to give a classic rink feel.
A full pub menu will feature burgers, flatbreads tacos and more. A full cocktail and beer menu will be available.
"Roller Skating is seeing a strong resurgence across the U.S., and the design of REMIX Manchester is celebrating the traditional fun of skating in a beautiful state-of-the-art venue perfect for family fun, nightlife, and private events," Gary Smith, co-owner of US Design Lab, said in a statement.
The Pearsons plan to open in other markets.
"If the response is strong, we want to do more," Pearson said. "And bring the concept to other communities like Cowabunga's."
