Alternate Uses for a Skating Rink

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My cousins in Chillocothe own a skating rink. They would like to retire in two years and move to a small place out of the city. However, they are becoming increasingly concerned they will not be able to sell the rink, and thus have to keep it open due to the fixed expenses involved. Plus, the skating business offers little return for the investment required and there is another 'no frills' rink in town. His parents built the rink and neither of their sons has any interest in the business. Please brainstorm for them on possible alternative uses for the rink. It has a $10,000 sound system, restrooms, concession stand, entry office and skate rental area. Parking may be a problem for some uses, such as a church with a large membership. Suggested in a previous posts on leading economic indicators were a bingo or reception hall (perhaps combined). Please brainstorm on ideas for them so they can eventually get out of Dodge.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 10, 2001

Answers

My old hometown skating rink was turned into an antique shopping mall. Where most things are sold on consignment.

-- LaJonda Mosley (gordofbc@pickens.net), October 10, 2001.

Indoor flea market? Antique store mall where a bunch of stores get together to market in a communal area? Some other kind of indoor sport area? Storage vaults if you divided the inside up? (maybe not too lucrative, but might make the place saleable). Around here, boat storage in the winter goes for $2 a foot per month, which is not bad money for a large building well packed. Display area for furniture retailer or other retailer of bulky items (snowmobiles, motorcycles, appliances, etc.)

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), October 10, 2001.

ice cube factory?? mini circus ??

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), October 10, 2001.

Oops, I should have indicated this is a roller skating rink, not an ice skating rink.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 10, 2001.

Ken, I still like the reception hall idea with bingo a couple nights a week. They'd probably have to expand the concession stand into more of a full kitchen but that pays out by having catering on premise for the reception hall. Around here about the only food or drink of your own you can bring in is the wedding cake and maybe a special bottle of champagne. Outside of that the halls handle all food and drink and you pay for it. Have your cousins call around to reception halls in their area as potential renters and see how far ahead they are booked and what the rates, etc., are for them. I'd be surprised if they aren't booked out months in advance for weekends. Also, they might want to contact a local wedding planner (if there are any there) and pick their brains for ideas, too. I hope this helps.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), October 10, 2001.


Check with property management groups in larger cities, someone may be looking for office space or light industry. Proabily population count will bear largely on whats needed in the area.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), October 10, 2001.

Do they already have contracts with the local parks and rec department, and with the local school district for PE classes (I would have loved to have roller skating as a choice)? Perhaps the local YMCA would like to buy it. Lazer Tag?

I only ask the above because I went to take my stepdaughter to our local rink once, only to find that we weren't allowed in because that time was reserved for people who had scheduled through parks and rec. Most irritating.

Have they actually tried to sell the rink? If they really want to get out of it, they might try the "write the best essay with a $1000 check" contest if that is legal in their area, waiting of course until they get the requisite amount of money before declaring a winner, and being prepared to return all the money to the entrants after a certain amount of time if they don't.

Dance club? Make it all video/pinball/skeeball etc. type games? I am a little confused by your comment about another "no frills" rink in town. I have never seen a roller rink that was spiffy or state-of-the-art in any way. They all seem to be older, spare in construction and amenities, etc.

Would they still keep it going as a skating concern if they could make more money at it?

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), October 10, 2001.


They have no real interest in continuing the roller skating business beyond two years. Chances to sell it to someone who wants to continue it as a rink are about zero. It's really a question of how can they market the building for alternative uses?

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 10, 2001.

well,, there goes the ice cube idea. Still ,, the circus might work,, how about a farm/homestead circus???????

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), October 10, 2001.

How about Fri.night bingo,Sat.flea market,Sunday church services and then durning the week rent it out for scout meeting,4h,homeschoolers,quilting clubs,senior center,handicap,daycare,afterschool group,or even dog classes. They could market it as a community center. Good luck

-- renee oneill{md.} (oneillsr@home.com), October 10, 2001.


Put in seating and a screen and use it for movies on their 3rd-4th run? $2 for the movie, and make the real money off the concession stand. If your rink has a balcony or mezzanine you might be able to do it. Rocky Horror Picture Show or the new singalong craze with The Sound of Music. Some of the newer movie places are very small, so you wouldn't necessarily be at a disadvantage. I'd always rather go to a movie than rent one, but prices are 'way too high.

The idea for using it as a community center for rent sounds good, but remember that you would be competing directly against your schools for that money--and most of the schools rent cheaply enough for meetings that you might not make any money.

On the other hand, partitioned correctly and wired up, you might be able to rent it out along with a general receptionist and copier as "start-up" office space for new businesses (there's a name for it and it has slipped my mind), or if you expand the kitchen, you can rent it out as a commercial kitchen for money.

It might be difficult to sell it as something else unless they have some money to put in at least a bit of remodeling. Do they own it outright? Could they get a reverse mortgage on it? Since you say the children are not interested in the business is it a fair assumption that they are not interested in any profits (i.e. inheritance) from the sale of it? If this is the case, it might be worth it to your cousins just to get out from under it. If they move away from it, they are going to spend more time and money looking after their faraway investment than it's worth.

My earlier suggestions concerning the rink-type things you could do were really along the lines of building up the business to where someone would want to buy it because the numbers were really good. Anyone buying would want to know the numbers.

Another thought, a dance school (ballet) might want it, or it could be a small gymnastics place or yoga studio.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), October 10, 2001.


When our local roller rink went belly up, it was revived as a radio controlled race car track and did rather well for about 10 years. There were organized clubs and on site rentals also.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), October 11, 2001.

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