‘Old-School’ Roller Rink Opening In Halifax This June
SPRYFIELD—A new business opening in Spryfield this summer hopes to bring an iconic 80s pastime to the HRM.
Shane Upshaw and his partner Naomi Walker are weeks away from opening Upshaw’s Roller Dome, a roller skating rink inspired by the “old-school” roller rinks of the 1980s.
Upshaw decided to start the business after buying Walker a pair of roller skates. They wanted to start skating together but realized there wasn’t a good place to do it.
He learned about roller arenas online and thought they looked “really fun and really cool.” Once he discovered there wasn’t anything like them in Halifax, he decided he would bring one.
A Future For His Kids
Starting Upshaw’s Roller Dome was a big decision for Upshaw, who at the time worked installing underground irrigation systems and had no experience running or starting his own business. But he quit his job and started working full time to get his business off the ground.
Upshaw said quitting his job was scary but he did it to create a better future for his kids.
“I’ve always wanted to be in a business position. Unfortunately, I never got a break. I had a rocky life in the past and upbringing, so I didn’t have a lot of options. I was out at the age of 16 working on my own,” he explained.
“So, this was finally my chance. Now I have four kids and I want the best lives for them. So, I decided that this was a possibility and I’m just going to put 100 percent into it and go for it. The worst that can happen is it doesn’t succeed, but at least I tried.”
Now, he’s weeks away from opening Upshaw’s Roller Dome, which will be located in the bottom of the Spryfield Shopping Centre, next to the bowling alley.
Upshaw admitted, however, that the process hasn’t been easy. He has no experience starting his own business and he says support has been scarce.
He said he has a new respect for anyone who started a business because he’s learned how tough it is to start something without any support, financial or otherwise.
“People don’t realize, it’s not easy,” he said.
‘A Fun Environment For Everybody’
You may have an image in your head, perhaps fuelled by 80s movies and TV, of what a roller arena looks like: neon lights, classic music, gleaming hardwood floors. Upshaw says that’s exactly the kind of space he wants to create.
“I want an old-school roller skating area. I want the old music, lots of lights, really good soul music—just a fun environment for everybody, people just dancing around learning new tricks,” he said.
He said he also hopes it can be a place to “get kids off the streets in the summer” rather than running the roads or hanging out at the mall.
Customers will be able to rent skates on location or bring their own. He even hopes to have arcade machines and some other features if things go well.
‘The Real Fun Comes When You Start Dancing’
He says he still hasn’t nailed down the exact schedule but that it will be a mix of pre-booked practice skate times and open skates.
Upshaw admits he’s “more of a pond hockey guy” but that he’s come to love roller skating, and straps on a pair almost every day.
“Roller skating is not as easy as a lot of people think. I mean, it’s easy to go around in the circle on all four wheels. But the real fun comes when you start dancing,” he said.
Upshaw said he plans to open Upshaw’s Roller Dome in early June, hopefully before the official start of summer.
Trevor Nichols is the associate editor of Huddle, based in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].