Take a 25-minute walk from the MU campus to where the streets start to get quiet and the people become scarce. Slowly, the Empire Roller Rink comes into sight.
The family-owned roller skating rink has been a mainstay in CoMo for 75 years. While it began as a smaller rink, it expanded around the turn of the millennium, and it has continued to be featured prominently in the childhood memories of many Columbia natives.
The rink is currently owned by husband and wife Willie and Lisa Trent. Willie coaches roller hockey, while Lisa teaches figure skating. Their daughter Emma is a world-class skater who qualified for Team USA at the 2012 World Artistic Roller Skating Championships.
Lisa says coaching is a relatively new endeavor for the team, as Empire began offering lessons just nine years ago. She considers Empire to be “a family entertainment facility,” with space for private parties and public activities.
“Kids’ birthday parties are the most popular event for our rink,” she says. “Other theme sessions are created based on the upcoming holidays and fun ideas from the staff and our regular skater customers.”
While the popular birthday locale and after-school hangout has suffered a decrease in popularity in recent years, its owners have adapted accordingly.
“Roller skating had slowly decreased in popularity because it is a skilled activity and some people, both adults and children, may not know how to skate,” Lisa says. “Therefore, we have in the past years now created a quality ‘Beginner Skate Lesson’ program.”
Shannon Keys, a member of the artistic roller skating team, has skated here since elementary school. She agrees that skating has become less popular with Generation Z.
“Back when the owner was younger, the rink was the popular place to be,” she says.
Empire Roller Rink has adjusted its business model to attract younger would-be roller skaters. In addition to providing the beginner program, the rink is working with Columbia Public Schools to promote roller skating as a healthy way to get exercise. Lisa says Empire strives to provide an activity for children and their families to do together, combining fitness with fun.
So while the hairstyles, the music and the technology change from one generation to another, one thing’s for sure: Empire Roller Rink will always be the place for good, clean fun in Columbia.