Gwinnett County says goodbye to a 47-year-old roller skating rink

Published On: August 21, 2025

But that will soon come to an end. Jason Chan, the property’s landlord, sold it to a buyer who had no intention of keeping the building’s skating rink. As a result, on August 24, Skate Along USA will permanently close.

Give credit to RODNEY HO?

Thomas, a lanky 63-year-old patio installer from Lawrenceville, visited during open skate on August 10 after learning of the news to say goodbye to a location that brought back a lot of happy memories.

With the carefree excitement of a teenager, Thomas skated and laughed on the light blue-tinted rink with a group of pals, including his girlfriend. According to Mark Williams, a friend from high school, he met two potential wives at Skate Along USA. (He separated the two.) Williams claimed that we were all rink rats.

Thomas remembered frequently jumping over the original brick wall that surrounded the majority of the rink and performing a front somersault. And for some reason, he avoided going to the hospital.

I would get a hard time from the staff, who would say things like, “You can’t be doing that!” Thomas smiled as he spoke.

Thanks to Jenni Girtman.

The DJ booth with the notice stating we don’t play unedited tunes, the neon-lit Snack Shack, the skate rental window, and the small cinder block restrooms all struck him as strikingly similar to Skate Along when he was a teenager. We try our best to play music that is clean.

Thomas chuckled and remarked, “They haven’t spent any money on it, so it must have been a cash cow for decades.”

To be fair, the area still appeared tidy and well-kept. Losing the rink is really painful, according to Chan, the outgoing owner who paid $2.1 million buy the site 20 years ago along with the nearby sports complex Recreation ATL.

According to public documents, Chans sold the property to 1618 Land Holdings in March for $4.7 million.

Thanks to Jenni Girtman.

The shutdown of the rink does not necessarily indicate a decline in the popularity of roller skating. In metro Atlanta, there are still over a dozen additional rinks, such as Golden Glide Skating in Decatur, Cascade Family Skating in west Atlanta, and several Sparkles Family Fun Center locations.

Jim McMahon, president of the Roller Skating Association, which advocates for 700 rinks across the country, is compensated to be hopeful about the sport’s future. He observed a boost in interest during the outdoor roller skating pandemic and the excitement of seeing Usher perform during the 2024 Super Bowl in front of over 100 million roller skaters.

However, he is aware of a significant problem: indoor roller rink accessibility. Entrepreneurs have found it challenging to construct new skating rinks from the ground up due to zoning regulations, funding issues, and construction expenses, McMahon admitted.

People who want to open a rink phone me four or five times a week, McMahon said. However, in any given year, perhaps one or two new rinks will open around the country.

Because of this, there are less and fewer real roller rinks in the US. According to the RSA, the number of rinks in the US has decreased by 10% to 1,125 from 1,250 prior to the epidemic and over 2,000 in the 1980s.

There are now just two roller skating rinks in Gwinnett County—Sparkles in Lawrenceville and Buford’s Skate Country—after Skate Along USA closed.

Courtesy

According to Jeff Couey, whose family has operated roller skating rinks since 1959, rinks take up a significant amount of space when compared to other types of entertainment. In Hiram and Kennesaw, he expanded his Sparkles Family Fun Centers by incorporating indoor playgrounds and laser tag. For STEM classes, he brings in students from surrounding schools.

Couey, whose two boys opened the newest indoor roller skating rink in metro Atlanta in 2016—Starlite Family Fun Center in McDonough—said, “We’re always reinventing ourselves.” We are aware of our actions. We maintain our facilities.

Thanks to RODNEY HO/a

In 1978, when roller skating was at its height as a disco-influenced pop culture sensation, Robert B. Houston founded Skate Along USA.

Rinks continued to be a childhood ritual in the decades that followed, even as disco gradually faded. Kelly Little and Tracy Thompson, who returned to Skate Along USA for their last skate earlier this month, recalled doing the Hokey Pokey and dancing to Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It” when they were in middle school.

Parents would drop their children up at the rink at 7 p.m. and pick them up 12 hours later for summer lock-in celebrations, which they remembered with fondness. According to Thompson, no one slept.

The childhood buddies were excited to avoid falling when they hired skates. Thompson said, “The wind in your hair.” That feeling is unmatched.

Courtesy

Christine Salome has been a frequent visitor to Skate Along USA for the past thirty years. She first worked there as a customer, then as an employee, general manager, and owner. She noted that the founding Houston family members were very focused on the community. During the day, daycare centers would take their children skating. Fundraisers would be held by schools.

She tried their best to maintain the family atmosphere while leasing the space from Chan for a number of years with her husband Chris.

I ve always loved the atmosphere and the people here, said Salome, who went by either Miss Chris or Momma Chris by the regulars. All I wanted was for the consumers to be satisfied and desire to return.

“Business was harmed by the pandemic,” Salome remarked. She made extra money by renting the rink for movies and music videos. Zach Galifianakis did not skate, although he did film a scene at the rink for the 2023 Apple TV+ movie The Beanie Bubble.

Puerto Rican pop star Rauw Alejandro skated quite gracefully at Skate Along for his 2021 music video for Todo de Ti, which featured a cameo from part-time Atlanta resident Shaquille O Neal. The song has received over 823 million views on YouTube and was nominated for a Latin Grammy.

Salome only relinquished ownership late last year when Chan said he was about to sell his fitness center and the rink.

Salome stated that buying both buildings would be necessary, but that was not an option. All we wanted was the rink.

Justin Nevels, who goes by DJ Anarchy, presided over the music on the second to last Wednesday evening, Adult night, heavy on R&B and hip hop.

He stated, “I’ve been employed here for nine months.” It has a pleasant vibe. I love the floor, the lights and mirrors. It is the only mirror-equipped rink in the town. And it s a melting pot of skaters. All different types.

Nevels said business has been OK but picked up even more when people heard Skate Along was closing. That s the way it goes, he said. And I ll have to find another gig.

IF YOU GO

Skate Along USA, Through Aug. 24. 8-11 p.m. Wednesday, 7-11 p.m. Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday, 3-7 p.m., Sunday. 744 Beaver Ruin Road, Lilburn, 770-921-0800.skatealongusa.com