Rink Ratz is #BlueSpringsStrong!
Photo by Jaime Russell, Anthem Photography
Faith Over Fear – that’s the motto Vicky Conner, owner ofRink Ratz roller skating rink, has been repeating to herself over and over again since the pandemic hit Blue Springs in March. She’s even got it painted on the walls of her building.
“Honestly, if it wasn’t for my faith I don’t know if I would be this strong,” she said. “Even though I am not making what I was, I am able to sustain my business and I don’t have to depend on someone else to keep me going.”
Vicky said as a business owner, she never thought it would get to the point where someone could just come in and mandate her business to be shut down for an extended period of time. Rink Ratz was closed during the initial phases of the County Health Department shutdown from March 15 to June2.
“I own this building, but I still had to pay my bills and taxes. I was down on my knees a lot, just trying to get through this.
Vicky said there really wasn’t much she could do to creatively continue her business during the shut-down, but she was able to take advantage of the small business loans offered during that time.
“And I did have to dip into my personal savings but, you can’t put a price on your dream and failure wasn’t an option for me.”
Vicky has owned Rink Ratz since 2013, but her love for the place began more than 40 years ago.
“I skated here when I was a kid. And then when I had my daughter and she got old enough to skate, I started bringing her here. It became a way for us to do something together as a family. Then, I just started to get to know the owner and help out where I could. And when the opportunity came up, I knew I had to buy it.”
During the shutdown, Vicky didn’t just sit idly by. She used the time to replace flooring in the snack area, bought new glow in the dark lighting and cleaned and maintained every single skate – which is quite the time-consuming process.
Vicky was also appreciative of her loyal customers, who during the closure, continued to purchase skates and Club Passes for future skating sessions. She said many of those who had parties booked, didn’t cancel, but allowed her to keep the deposit and rebooked the parties for next year.
Photo by Jaime Russell, Anthem Photography
Since re-opening, Vicky has worked hard to ensure her business is safe and clean for her customers including spacing out tables, using a special ultra-violet cleaning lighting, hanging up plastic barriers, offering hand sanitizer everywhere and making sure every skate, surface ande quipment is washed and sanitized after use. She also took the health department class that was offered to business owners on how to keep customers safe and provides free disposable masks if someone forgets theirs.
“People are scared right now, and I have to prove that my business is a safe, clean and fun place for people to gather,” she said.
In addition to ensuring the physical health of her customers, Vicky is equally concerned about the mental health of her customers.
“Skating is good for mental health,” she said. “It’s nice to see the kids get excited and be with their friends when they’ve been apart for so long. They need the social interaction. And I have a lot of teens that come in on Friday nights and this is their safe place where they can come and get the support they need. So this business, it’s not just a way to make income. It’s what drives me and it’s extremely important to the mental and physical health of the kids that come here.”
Rink Ratz is located at 513 SW Keystone Drive in Blue Springs.
Thank you to the City of Blue Springs, The Examiner, Community Services League Blue Springs, and Downtown Alive for supporting our local small businesses. Together, we are #BlueSpringsStrong!
Photos by Jaime Russell, Anthem Photography
