Rolling in profits

The height of rollerskating came in the late 1970s.

And while afros, bell bottoms, butterfly collars and other signature styles of the disco era went out of style, a handful of roller-rink owners in Central Pennsylvania said roller-skating never did. The hokey pokey, the limbo, the crazy trio and the chicken dance still bring in profits, they said.

Two business partners from outside the region have their eyes on the region's rollerskating market.

They are renovating the former Star rollerskating rink at 7500 Derry St., Swatara Township. They purchased the business in February.

Wheelz of Fire, the rink's new name, will open in mid-May, said Nathaniel Wright, manager.

Owners Mike Slaven and Michael Fager are gutting the facility. They are installing new light-show equipment, a video-game room and a private party room, Wright said. To keep costs down, the owners buy as much skating equipment for their rinks as they can from auctions and the Internet auction Web site eBay, he said.

Slaven, of Philadelphia, and Fager, of Newark, N.J., own rinks in Philadelphia, New York and Baltimore, Wright said. The two are interested in buying more rinks in smaller markets, such as Central Pennsylvania, where there is a lot of room to grow, Wright said.

"Our rink in Philly can bring in $20,000 to $30,000 on a Friday or Saturday night," Wright said.

Rollerskating is a low-cost way to entertain the family, said Mac McArthur, owner of Olympic Skating Center in East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County. That's what the businesses market, rink owners said.

None of the rinks interviewed for this story charge more than $5.25 for a rollerskating session, and skate rentals are no more than $2.50. The owners count on getting as many skaters through the doors as they can, using concession sales, skate rentals and party rentals to make their businesses work, they said.

Taking a family of four to the movies can be expensive, McArthur said. Rollerskating is a low-cost alternative for parents looking to take their kids out, he said.

Keeping prices down isn't easy, though, they said.

Many rink owners employ part-time employees who work mostly for minimum wage. When the state minimum wage increased from $5.15 to $7.15 per hour last year, several owners said it ate into their profits.

Heating and cooling rollerskating rinks is expensive. There are building maintenance costs to keep up with and liability insurance and property taxes to pay, they said.

But many take care of the day-to-day maintenance work themselves. It takes a little more than a handful of employees to run a rink. And communities still appreciate having a rink to go to, they said.

"We get a lot of families skating. It's nothing for me to have 300 kids in here on a Friday night," said Frank Quintin, owner of Roll ‘R' Way Family Skating Center in York.

Summer is the slow season for most rink owners in the region. When the weather warms up, families turn to outdoor activities.

Bob Schiazza, owner of Fountainblu Skating arena in New Cumberland, uses some of the downtime to improve the 35-year-old facility he and his wife, Diane, bought in 1995. Fountainblu was built for indoor tennis. Tennis never took off in the facility and not long after it was built, a rollerskating rink went in, Schiazza said.

Schiazza does almost all the maintenance work at the rink to keep down cost, he said. Whether it's adding a fresh coat of paint or installing new lights or a video wall, Schiazza tries to constantly improve his rink, he said. He tries to keep the rink as entertaining as possible, he said.

Young kids, teenagers and their parents are the target customers, rink owners said. After teenagers turn 16, they lose interest and move on to other activities. The business is somewhat cyclical because of this, they said.

Schiazza has seen generations pass through rinks throughout his life. He comes from a family of roller-rink owners. His father owned a rink in Philadelphia, and his cousin owns one in suburban Philadelphia, he said.

Before Schiazza bought Fountainblu, he was an accountant, and his wife worked in the corporate arena, too. He wanted to become his own boss, and he still loves that part of the job, he said.

He rents the 30,000-square-foot facility for birthday parties, school groups, camps and nonprofits, he said. Rentals help during the slow season, he said.

Quintin extends his hours during the summer. He added a video wall to attract more rollerskaters too, he said. The 39-year-old rink has come a long way since the days when skaters rolled in circles to live organ music and reel-to-reel tapes at the rink, he said.

McArthur's father opened the Olympic 27 years ago. It has seen a lot of changes since it opened, but it still has a hardwood rink for skaters to wheel around on.

During the summer, the Olympic is open to the public on weekdays. McArthur plugs daycares and summer camps to attract a daytime crowd, he said.

At 11 p.m. on weekends, customers are

allowed to take off their skates and dance on the wooden rink. McArthur holds sock hops to add a twist to what the Olympic offers, he said.

Rink owners need to accommodate the community to survive in the rollerskating business, McArthur said. Offering sock hops and renting the rink to various groups adds revenue and interest in the rink, he said. It serves as a social center and gives people a fun exercise alternative, he said.

"East Pennsboro Middle School and High School do gym classes with us. They have the rink for a whole week of skating," McArthur said. "During the days, I get schools in. Why have an empty building sitting around?"