Fundraising begins for roller rink in Fairfield

FAIRFIELD – The owners of Volition Skate Co. in downtown Fairfield are raising money to convert a space above their shop into a roller rink.

Katharine Vigmostad and Jen Kranz own Volition Skate Co., a business that sells roller skates and accessories. They opened the business in 2020 on North Main Street, and within just a few months had to move into a bigger space on the south side of the square.

The two said one of the most frequent comments they receive is “there’s no place to skate” in Fairfield, but that’s something they hope to change. They have started a GoFundMe to help remodel a ballroom on the second floor of the building they’re in, the International Order of Oddfellows building they share with India Café to the east.

“The first thing we hear when people walk by our store is, ‘Why are you selling skates? There’s no rink here,’” Kranz said. “Well, we have a rink in the works.”

The two said the ballroom upstairs has likely not been used for 30 years. Kranz found an Oddfellows calendar on the wall from the early 1990s. The landlord has agreed to spruce up the second floor, but Vigmostad and Kranz have to raise the money to convert it into a roller rink. They’ve set a goal of raising $35,000, which would allow them to purchase rental skates, concession appliances, audio equipment and lighting, and install tables and seating for a refreshment area. The fundraiser began on Nov. 30, and as of Thursday morning it had raised about $3,000 from 31 donors.

The ballroom is about 2,000 square feet. It has a hardwood floor, but it will need to be resurfaced with a nice gloss before it can become a skating rink. Kranz estimated that it’s big enough to accommodate 25-30 skaters at a time.

Vigmostad and Kranz said they want to create a roller rink so that members of the public, especially kids, have something to do inside.

“Fairfield has very limited indoor winter-friendly activities that the community can participate in,” they said on their GoFundMe page. “There are very limited choices for group socializing, and other indoor recreational activities are limited to gyms or other more traditional fitness activities. A rink provides the opportunity to enjoy friends while getting physical exercise in a more casual setting.”

Vigmostad and Kranz envision hosting after-school events where kids can spend a few hours at the rink while grabbing a bite to eat and playing some arcade games. They’re hoping to do events geared towards adults later in the evening from 9 p.m. until midnight.

The pair plan to hold roller skating classes at the rink, too. An online “influencer” named Nicole Fiore teaches roller skating classes on her website, where she promotes Volition Skate’s productions. Vigmostad and Kranz want to put a television in the rink so residents can learn to skate while watching Fiore’s classes. In fact, Vigmostad and Kranz would love to reserve one of the apartments above their business so they can fly influencers like Fiore to Fairfield for in-person classes.

The landlord has started remodeling the second floor, and expects that with two months of work, it will be ready to rent. Vigmostad and Kranz said their own remodeling will take a couple more months on top of that, and that they hope to open the rink in April 2022.

“Our town just needs more for the kids to do that’s positive, and something that gives them a sense of purpose and community,” Vigmostad said.

“A lot of people say, ‘I love skating. Skating was my childhood passion, and I spent all my weekends at the roller skating rink,’” Kranz added. “And those were some of our happiest memories. I want to provide that for my kids, too.”

The link to the GoFundMe page can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-build-a-roller-rink-in-fairfield?qid=1861b894368d949efc2da98c7822cc14

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com