What are those shelves on the left side of the picture for?
Eight photos above courtesy of Google Map/Al Belcher. Cool pictures using google map! I wonder what are those shelves right next to the entrance to the rink (see bottom of Google Map photo)? Noticed the way the walls and half walls are designed? Its for roller hockey. Noticed score board in back corner.
Website pages and photo courtesy: Willie Trent/Empire Roller Rink. Willie is shown giving away cookie joking with a patron sitting saying, "Those cookies are poison!" A joke! OK!? Taken in December 2018. Nice Jacket Willie! You silly joker! Can I have a cookie, please? Oh wait, I missed it by two months! Oh well!
Empire Roller Rink, 1305 Business Loop 70 E, Columbia, MO
Empire Roller Rink, 1215 Mores, Hwy 40, Columbia, MO. (Original)
Let not the name fool you that this was another Empire as reminded you of Empire Skates East, West, and Rollerdrome (all three from New York State). And New York State is Empire State. Empire has been around since 1938 started by the Trent Family which kept in family tradition and ran the rink from that year till Sunday January 6, 2019 when he had last session before handing keys to Show-Me Central Habitat for Humanity for their re-store thrift store. The rink lasted quite a long time but technically, it was at a different location, I believe. The pictures will show you that it was at different location.
First, it was Willie's parents first opened the rink and they lived in an apartment above the rink and Willie was always close to the rink as child and learned the ropes there. Willie was born in 1943.
That location is unknown but the last location was on Business Loop 70 East in Columbia, MO. The newest facility looks like a stone-veneer built complex that looks like a very modern more classy warehouse than it was with just steel/aluminum warehouse look. Looked real classy and expensive building. It also looked like a corner drug store building actually. Natural Grey blocks with Off-White Aluminum siding (vertical) sheeting above the blocks on walls. Looked to be brand new. How new was it?
The interior was quite a different story. The ceiling had panels and some of it was not. But the walls were white and clear. No murals, nothing. And the Medium Brown stained Maple with many lines on the rink. Must be part of it for roller hockey, other for different purposes including figure skating, and derby? The rink were popular with figure skating and for little children. But many ages went to the rink for more than 80 years! Same family owned it for 80 years! A rare occurrence for a skating rink ownership/management to last this long.
Apparently with years of experience in a couple of generations of family owning and operating the rink paid off with good customer service and personalities. Why, it shows well on Yelp with 4 out of 5 stars. This is one of highest I found so far on Yelp. Apparently owner Willie Trent has a big heart that he cared for the customers and skaters and the facility. Willie did everthing from snack bar, admission, and DJ and host of the rink. He even cared about safety that in 2014 a customer signed up for many guests and passed out 3000 invitations that was not right. And that customer had to be removed by law enforcement according to a news that year accoring to Komu.com - a news station.
What I see was a frivolous lawsuit. I would say case dismissed. Sorry those local news failed to add captioning for the Hearing Impaired. Good thing they had lengthy news statements below the video-a transcript if you will call that.
He tried to sell the rink so he can retire but unfortunately no one wanted to purchase the rink to continue as the rink so the building was sold to a great non-profit organization that he felt they are best buyers for the building. At the time of writing, slowly it is being translated into Re-Store thrift store that sells household products for sale or resale. I wish I knew about it, Willie so I could have bought it for.. what..? One Million Dollars? Ohh.. where is Scrooge so I can borrow money. Hahaha. Expensive!
Willie owned and managed for 55 out of 80 years. His family ran for 25 years prior to Willie take over.
Willie Trent also was excellent in helping owners and managers of another rink including John Esterline, the co-owner of Sk8 Zone, a rink in Jefferson City, MO which is 37 minutes drive distance from each other.
1215 Mores, Hwy 40 -- original location:
Rink Size: N/A Floor: Possible Maple. Floor Layout: Fan?
Building Size: 100 by 50 feet building, two businesses in building-carpet and skating rink).
Building Size: N/A Built: N/A
Type of Building: Wood structure Building.
Roof: Gable
Acres: N/A
1305 Business Loop 70 East location:
Rink Size: N/A Floor: Maple, OIled Floor Layout: Fan
Building Size: 10,032 SF Built: 2000
Type of Building: Free Span Cinderblock Building.
Roof: Flat
Acres: 1.50 Acres
Operated: January 1939 to Sunday January 6, 2019 (exactly 80 years).
Reason for Closure: Retirement. No one wanted to buy as a rink so it was sold to a non-profit for their store.
Wanted: Information regarding exact date of opening in January 1939 and better pictures of original rink. Found out it was "Skate World" in that same location according to Loopnet (likely a mistake by the real estate agent). Was it really that name? Name changed? Or that rink went out of business and Empire took over?
Sources: Yelp, Columbia Missourian, Facebook, Komu, Columbia Tribune. Komu (2014), Loopnet
© 2019 - 2020 Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved.
Empire Roller Rink, 1215 Mores, Hwy 40, Columbia, MO. (Original)
Let not the name fool you that this was another Empire as reminded you of Empire Skates East, West, and Rollerdrome (all three from New York State). And New York State is Empire State. Empire has been around since 1938 started by the Trent Family which kept in family tradition and ran the rink from that year till Sunday January 6, 2019 when he had last session before handing keys to Show-Me Central Habitat for Humanity for their re-store thrift store. The rink lasted quite a long time but technically, it was at a different location, I believe. The pictures will show you that it was at different location.
First, it was Willie's parents first opened the rink and they lived in an apartment above the rink and Willie was always close to the rink as child and learned the ropes there. Willie was born in 1943.
That location is unknown but the last location was on Business Loop 70 East in Columbia, MO. The newest facility looks like a stone-veneer built complex that looks like a very modern more classy warehouse than it was with just steel/aluminum warehouse look. Looked real classy and expensive building. It also looked like a corner drug store building actually. Natural Grey blocks with Off-White Aluminum siding (vertical) sheeting above the blocks on walls. Looked to be brand new. How new was it?
The interior was quite a different story. The ceiling had panels and some of it was not. But the walls were white and clear. No murals, nothing. And the Medium Brown stained Maple with many lines on the rink. Must be part of it for roller hockey, other for different purposes including figure skating, and derby? The rink were popular with figure skating and for little children. But many ages went to the rink for more than 80 years! Same family owned it for 80 years! A rare occurrence for a skating rink ownership/management to last this long.
Apparently with years of experience in a couple of generations of family owning and operating the rink paid off with good customer service and personalities. Why, it shows well on Yelp with 4 out of 5 stars. This is one of highest I found so far on Yelp. Apparently owner Willie Trent has a big heart that he cared for the customers and skaters and the facility. Willie did everthing from snack bar, admission, and DJ and host of the rink. He even cared about safety that in 2014 a customer signed up for many guests and passed out 3000 invitations that was not right. And that customer had to be removed by law enforcement according to a news that year accoring to Komu.com - a news station.
What I see was a frivolous lawsuit. I would say case dismissed. Sorry those local news failed to add captioning for the Hearing Impaired. Good thing they had lengthy news statements below the video-a transcript if you will call that.
He tried to sell the rink so he can retire but unfortunately no one wanted to purchase the rink to continue as the rink so the building was sold to a great non-profit organization that he felt they are best buyers for the building. At the time of writing, slowly it is being translated into Re-Store thrift store that sells household products for sale or resale. I wish I knew about it, Willie so I could have bought it for.. what..? One Million Dollars? Ohh.. where is Scrooge so I can borrow money. Hahaha. Expensive!
Willie owned and managed for 55 out of 80 years. His family ran for 25 years prior to Willie take over.
Willie Trent also was excellent in helping owners and managers of another rink including John Esterline, the co-owner of Sk8 Zone, a rink in Jefferson City, MO which is 37 minutes drive distance from each other.
1215 Mores, Hwy 40 -- original location:
Rink Size: N/A Floor: Possible Maple. Floor Layout: Fan?
Building Size: 100 by 50 feet building, two businesses in building-carpet and skating rink).
Building Size: N/A Built: N/A
Type of Building: Wood structure Building.
Roof: Gable
Acres: N/A
1305 Business Loop 70 East location:
Rink Size: N/A Floor: Maple, OIled Floor Layout: Fan
Building Size: 10,032 SF Built: 2000
Type of Building: Free Span Cinderblock Building.
Roof: Flat
Acres: 1.50 Acres
Operated: January 1939 to Sunday January 6, 2019 (exactly 80 years).
Reason for Closure: Retirement. No one wanted to buy as a rink so it was sold to a non-profit for their store.
Wanted: Information regarding exact date of opening in January 1939 and better pictures of original rink. Found out it was "Skate World" in that same location according to Loopnet (likely a mistake by the real estate agent). Was it really that name? Name changed? Or that rink went out of business and Empire took over?
Sources: Yelp, Columbia Missourian, Facebook, Komu, Columbia Tribune. Komu (2014), Loopnet
© 2019 - 2020 Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved.