Blast to the past: Retro roller dome opens in Halifax
Roller disco hit its peak in the 70s and 80s, but for many, the thrill of gliding on four wheels is still very present.
Stephanie Coffin, owner of Coffin Skate in Halifax, says roller skating remains popular today.
"Oh man everybody is into roller skating!” says Coffin. "There’s not really one specific demographic or one specific age or gender."
Coffin says that interest is high, but the number of venues is low. That’s something Shane Upshaw says he hopes to remedy by converting an abandoned movie theatre into the first roller dome in Halifax in over 30 years.
It’s been a long-time dream come true for Upshaw.
"My first pair of skates was one of those little red and orange ones that you clip over your shoes. I lost touch with it for a long time and I woke up at one day and said ‘I haven’t gone roller skating in a long time' and I just went from there," says Upshaw.
Upshaw says his roller dome offers a throw back atmosphere, with a modern sound and light show above –and a polished concrete floor below.
For now, patrons can bring their own rollerblades and skates, but rentals and helmets should be available mid-July.
"The response from the public has been great. A lot of people are really excited we are opening and they can’t wait to try out the floor. There’s a big demand from the older generation that used to go to Wheelie’s but there’s a big demand from the younger generation as well," says Naomi Walker, who manages the Upshaw’s Rollerdome Facebook group.
The facility has been scheduled to open Friday morning.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit natural gas levies to the federal government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
'We hoped for this day, but we were scared that it would not never ever come because it took so long.' That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
North Bay doctor accused of assaulting patient, threatening another
A North Bay doctor is facing charges after allegedly assaulting a patient with a weapon and threatening another person at the hospital, police say.