Long after pickleball has come and gone, long after Dave & Buster’s has retired another generation of forgotten arcade cabinets, long after the bowling alley’s machines need an overhaul and a trendy new concept to stay relevant, the roller rink will still be there. Smooth floors, pumping stereo, simple refreshments—nothing much changes. Because nothing much needs to.
That’s the thing about a skating rink. It’s impervious to technological shifts, resistant to trends. Every few years, you slap on a fresh coat of neon paint, swap out the rental skates for newer models, and maybe tweak the snack bar menu to reflect modern tastes (blue Icees instead of red, pizza that doesn’t taste like a cardboard coaster). But beyond that, the business model is as solid as the polyurethane wheels underfoot.
Which begs the question: If rinks like Sparkles in Lawrenceville, Skate Country in Buford, and their cousins in Lilburn and Stone Mountain have packed parking lots on a Saturday night, then why aren’t more entrepreneurs betting on the next best version?
Rollin Through Time!
Take Sparkles in Lawrenceville. Built in 1981 as The Skate Place by Captain Stan Reynolds and his son Chris, it opened with a roadrunner mascot on the sign and a commitment to start every session with The Cars’ Let the Good Times Roll. By 1990, it became part of the Sparkles chain, which had already been thriving in Georgia for decades. The building itself—a 30,000-square-foot, free-span masterpiece—was a bold bet on the staying power of the sport. And it paid off. Sparkles is still open, still pulling in crowds, still making parents and kids lace up side by side.
Then there’s Skate Country in Buford. The kind of place that keeps the music loud and the skating smooth, where the parking lot is packed full every Saturday.
These aren’t isolated stories. They’re proof that roller rinks endure.
Why Rinks Keep Rolling (When Other Entertainment Trends Fade)
- Generational Buy-In – Kids skate, then grow up and bring their kids. It’s nostalgia-driven renewal, the same way baseball fields and county fairgrounds keep pulling people back.
- Multiple Revenue Streams – Open skate sessions are just the start. Birthday parties, skate rentals, snack bars, and private events mean cash keeps rolling in.
- Low Overhead Compared to Other Entertainment Concepts – Unlike a high-tech escape room or a VR arcade that needs constant equipment upgrades, a rink’s main assets—floor, music, and skates—are timeless.
- It’s Actually Good for You – Roller skating burns calories, strengthens core muscles, and gets kids off screens. Parents love it for that reason alone.
- It’s Social, But Safe – It’s a place where kids and teenagers can roam without getting into too much trouble. Parents don’t have to worry about them staring at a phone all night, and everyone goes home tired and happy.
The Skating Rink Business Bet
For all the nostalgia, roller rinks aren’t just relics. They’re thriving businesses. A good one can gross in the millions annually. The demand is there. The question is, why aren’t more people stepping up to build the next best version?
Maybe the answer lies in the unassuming nature of a roller rink. It doesn’t shout for attention like a trampoline park or an axe-throwing bar. It doesn’t require massive renovations every three years. It’s a simple, durable pleasure—one that, if history tells us anything, will still be around long after the next entertainment fad burns out.The parking lots in Lawrenceville and Buford are still full.
The neon lights still glow. And the good times? They’re still rolling.
