Longtime business rolls into the sunset

By Kate Martin

John and Sherry Dooley have served millions of skaters on 700 pairs of skates at about
13,400 sessions.

That’s a lot of “Hokey Pokeys.”

But the Dooleys decided it’s time to close the doors to Skate Castle.

It’s not the money; John Dooley said the rink’s final session, Wednesday, was well attended.

“We’re drawing Social Security now,” he said. “It’s time to stop.”

The couple put the building at 104 E. 15th St. up for sale two years ago for $1.3 million. Friday, a buyer closed on the property.

The Dooleys won’t say how much he bought it for, but the property was assessed by Larimer County at $431,000.

John Dooley says it’s a prime location. “If you let go of the steering wheel, 95 percent of the cars in town will come here automatically,” he said.

The building, near the intersection of U.S. 34 and U.S. 287, will likely turn into two or three separate stores, he said. Fastenal will be one store, said Loveland senior planner Brian Burson. Fastenal is a worldwide chain that sells fasteners, power tools, abrasives and safety equipment. Burson said the store would leave its 418 S.E. Eighth St. location to move into the Skate Castle building once it’s renovated.

Loveland residents, young and young-at-heart alike, said the absence of the Skate Castle will leave a void in the town.

“I think it’s really sad because it left a really big impact on me,” said Jordan Holland, 11. “It was like a children’s place to hang out and have a blast.”

Her friend, Gus Fabian, 11, said he liked seeing his friends after school and playing red-light green-light. But life after Skate Castle is “boring,” he said.

“There’s nothing to do on Fridays or anything,” Gus said. “You’d do a lot of things there, like make new friends and make memories.”

The Dooleys said they tried to find someone to buy it to continue the skating legacy. But even the city of Loveland turned the couple down after a “very reasonable offer,” Sherry Dooley said.

Even though they are officially out of the business, old habits die hard. The phone rang regularly at the Skate Castle on Monday and Sherry would dash off to get it. John reminded her she didn’t have to answer it.

They showed some of the skates the children would wear, and one of their tiniest skates, a child’s 8. Sherry rooted under the counter until John asked her what she was doing.

“I’m worried about the other 8,” she said. “Don’t worry about it,” he said.

Rob Wright, 40, started working at Skate Castle when he was 15. He was a floor guard and a disc jockey, and also wore the Roller Rabbit costume to teach young children how to skate.

“It’s really sad,” he said. “I’m going to miss it. It was definitely a part of my life when I was growing up.”

Karen Beitler, a fifth-grade teacher at Mary Blair Elementary School, said the student council raised about $700 a year
at Skate Castle fundraising events.

“We’re going to feel the loss that way, and the kids are going to be very upset,” she said. “There’s really not anything else we can do in town to have an event like that.”

An auction of the roller rink’s old equipment, from the disco ball over the skate floor to a 1950s candy machine, will be held at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 17. The skates will be donated to a local organization.

Codie Walton, a Thompson Valley High School freshman, said she liked to go to Skate Castle when she was in elementary school. While skating is not the “cool” thing to do anymore, she remembered playing “snowball,” a game where boys and girls would choose skate partners and hold hands around the rink.

“It’s a big deal to the fifth graders, let me tell you that,” she said. “You thought you were all cool because you were holding hands with a guy.”