Wheelies to reopen June 1

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This article was published 08/04/2019 (2603 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nearly a year after its doors closed, Wheelies Family Roller Centres announced it will be reopening in the summer.

After the building on 1010 Logan Ave., which housed Wheelies for more than two decades, was sold, owner Gordon Gunn scrambled to find a new place that would be perfect for welcoming roller skating enthusiasts. Now that he found a new home at the old West Kildonan Curling Club located at 210 Enniskillen Ave., Gunn said he hopes they can stay there for a long time after the business reopens June 1.

Gunn said it was difficult to find a new place, and thought they would have to stay out of business for a while. He said he looked at several buildings in the northwest, but all had structural pillars that couldn’t be taken down. Gunn added that “you can’t be skating in and out of pillars.” 

Though it took a while to reopen, Gunn always felt he wasn’t ready to stop. The thought of staying home and living a quiet life “drove (me) nuts,” he said with a laugh.

“I’m excited about getting it up and running. It’s a lot of work, but it will be interesting,” he added. 

After he found the new location, it took a while to get all the City’s approval. The business’ furniture was taken out of storage in the second week of March, and a lot of hard work has gone into getting the new place ready for customers.

“I hope we are busy, because it’s a big endeavour to do anything like this, but it keeps you young,” Gunn said. “As soon as I saw this place (the West Kildonan Curling Club), as soon as I came in the building, I thought it was excellent for what we need. The skating floor is larger than the one on Logan Avenue, and this looks more like a skating rink.”

Gunn is still working on renovations. They are painting the walls with bright colours, setting up the DJ booth, installing audio and lighting fixtures, and rebuilding the canteen. They will soon put up signage and prepare the place for the grand opening.

Jessica Owens, 37, said she had met up with friends at the former Wheelies location and that she had a lot of fun. She was happy to know that the business is returning.

“I think the whole roller skating thing is coming back. It used to be very popular in the ’70s, but I know a lot of kids enjoy it. I enjoy it. I had fun every time I went there. It’s good to have these kinds of recreation places in the city, especially when it’s cold,” the North End resident said.

While the winter is the busiest season for Wheelies, they find ways to keep the place filled year round.

“Roller skating is great exercise. Everybody gets active, and they don’t even realize they are exercising. People have a good time,” Gunn said.

Admission continues to be the same, from $2 on Tuesdays for 90 minutes, and $6 to $8 on other weekdays and weekends for three hours of skating.

For more information, go to wheeliesrollerrink.com/index.html