What can you do with a nearly empty mall? Turn it into a roller rink
London, Ont.'s Citi Plaza is set to open its doors for a second roller-skating event Friday
It's not every day you get to roller skate in a shopping mall — Friday will not be like every other day.
London's Citi Plaza is set to turn into a massive roller rink in the evening as its doors open to hundreds of roller skaters from across southwestern Ontario.
The high-demand destination for roller-skating hosted its first 400-ticket, sold-out event on Nov. 26 — and is back for another night of roller skating on Dec. 30 in partnership with Retro Rollers and MainStreet London. This time there are two sessions, including a family skate.
"Anywhere is a rink if you want it to be," said Nikki Lee, who's planning to make the trip from Brantford for the event and was at the November event as well.
"I love to shop, but to be in a mall setting with my roller skates on and nobody to tell me to take them off was a really special moment."
After finding inspiration on social media to pick up her own pair of roller skates a year and a half ago, she brings her rhythmic roller-skating skills to the mall floor. She and her friends are now an inspiration to others and post videos of their skills on Instagram.
"I just absolutely love it. I just do it as much as I can. It's like this little surge of nostalgia that I've just been looking for," said Lee.
Saleena Wedderburn, who roller-skates with Lee, said she feels like roller-skating "is definitely making a comeback." It's always been around, but as more of a well-kept secret, she said.
Rollerskating in the mall was an experience she won't ever forget, Wedderburn said. "It was just kind of nice to have this space that typically is made for walking around and shopping — and getting to do something that I love."
'It was just magical'
Day-to-day, Citi Plaza is "a little quiet," said Kathy Navackas, program coordinator at MainStreet London. "It's ripe for new energy."
She connected with Retro Rollers Inc. to dream up the event. After touring a few possible venues throughout downtown, the space at Citi Plaza got their imagination going.
"The main floor is absolutely spectacular and it's a lovely long circuit for skaters," she said. "It's really an unusual location. This is not where people expect to be able to roller skate. When we're looking for new activities that capture the imagination, to me this is one that really hit the mark."
The event took some risk to plan, she said. "We had no idea if people would turn up."
But they did. "It was just magical," she said.
That magic is something Phillip Morris wants to keep spreading. Morris, who lives in Wellesley north of Kitchener-Waterloo, owns Retro Rollers Inc. with his partner Elaine Beck. The pair left their jobs to launch the roller-skating business about six years ago.
"We fell in love with roller skating again ourselves and thought we'd bring it to more people," he said.
They rent and sell roller skates out of North London Optimist Centre on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Retro Rollers Inc. also operates a storefront in Stratford in addition to hosting events around southwestern Ontario.
But this was their first time hosting a skate in a mall.
"To see it come alive like that is great," said Morris. "It pumped us up, filled us with joy and was a happy experience for everybody." The first night ended with a standing ovation of sorts, with everyone clapping like "at the end of a concert."
But roller skaters take note — the eight-wheel activity isn't allowed in the mall outside of the event hours. A lot of prep goes into making the space safe, Navackas said.
The event on Dec. 30 will have two skating sessions each with 400 spots available. A family skate is scheduled from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and a session for ages 18 and over from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
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