MORE THAN 40 YEARS IN BUSINESS, LOCAL STAPLE IS SHUTTING ITS DOORS. KATE’S SKATING RINK WILL BE CLOSING ITS LOWER LOCATION COME THIS COMING SUNDAY, QUEEN CITY NEWS CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT TAYLOR YOUNG SHARES THE IMPACT IT’S HAD ON THE COMMUNITY AND ITS STAFF. LET’S TRY THESE ON YOU. THESE
ARE THESE ARE A LITTLE NEWER POINT OF STARTING A BUSINESS IS TO ULTIMATELY MAKE A PROFIT. BUT SOMETIMES BUSINESS OWNERS ARE MAKING MUCH MORE THAN THAT. IT’S DEFINITELY A LEGACY BEHIND THE FLASHING LIGHTS, THE ROWS OF SKATES THE 19 EIGHTIES CARPET. IS A BUILDING THAT’S PROVIDED GENERATION AFTER GENERATION OF
PLACE TO ESCAPE. THIS IS ALWAYS BEEN MY RANK. I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE AND LIKE IT’S MORE THAN A BUILDING TO ME, IT’S LIKE MY BEST FRIEND SINCE SHE COULD WALK , IT’S BEEN A LONG JOURNEY. EVA BUCKNER HAS SPENT MORE DAYS THAN NOT AT KATE SKATING RINK, WHETHER IT’S A PLACE TO WORK,
TRAIN FOR COMPETITIONS OR TO FIND PEACE WHENEVER I HAD TIMES WHEN I WAS UPSET OR HAD THOSE MOMENTS OF DEPRESSION OR ANGER, SADNESS. I WOULD COME HERE AND I WOULD LET IT ALL OUT ON THIS FLOOR. THE RINK HAS BENEFIT FIRST. FOR MANY FIRST TIME I WAS
EVER ON SKATES. I WAS TWO YEARS OLD HERE. BRIANNA TAYLOR GREW UP SKATING THIS RANK, WATCHING OLDER SIBLINGS BEHIND THE VERY DESK SHE’S STANDING BEHIND. THREE YEARS AGO, IT BECAME HER VERY FIRST JOB. IT’S JUST LIKE A WHOLE DIFFERENT ROUNDABOUT THAN A WORK. IT’S NOT A JOB. IT’S NOT
A PLACE. IT’S LIKE A HOME. A RANK TURNED HOME. THAT WILL SOON BE CLOSING. PEOPLE COME UP TO ME IN THE RANK AND SAY I GREW UP HERE AND THEN I START CRYING WHILE YOU WON’T FIND BILLY THOMAS IN A PAIR OF SKATES. I CAN YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, I KNOW HE
TOOK ON THE FAMILY BUSINESS AT AGE 21 AS A THIRD GENERATION OWNER. RIGHT NOW HE’S OPERATING THREE RINKS IN THE AREA, WHICH DUE TO CLIMBING, OPERATIONAL COSTS WILL SOON DWINDLED DOWN TO TWO. WE DON’T LOOK AS CLOSING. WE’RE CONSOLIDATING WHERE WHERE WHERE WE’RE MOVING, SORT OF, LIKE HIT HOME BECAUSE I NEVER I
WANTED MY KIDS TO BE ABLE TO COME HERE WHENEVER I HAD KIDS, SO IT’S JUST REALLY LIKE A BUMMER. I WOULD SAY TO SEE THAT IT’S GOING TO BE GONE WHILE SUNDAY WILL MARK THE END OF AN ERA FOR A LOCAL ICON, THE LEGACY WILL LIVE ON THROUGH STORIES
LEARNED SKILLS OR A 10 MINUTE DRIVE DOWN THE STREET. IT’S A VERY HUMBLING THING WHEN YOU REALLY SIT BACK AND LOOK AT IT FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE. HOW MANY FAMILIES OVER THE YEARS YOU KNOW, OUR FAMILY HAS TOUCHED. THE OWNER SAYS ABOUT 80% OF HIS STAFF WILL BE TRANSFERRING OVER
TO THEIR OTHER LOCATION IN GASTONIA. THEIR INDIAN TRAIL LOCATION WILL ALSO STAY OPEN. LOTS OF MEMORIES THERE, AND I HEARD THAT WAS ONE OF OUR PHOTOJOURNALISTS JACK OUT THERE ON THE SKATES WITH THE CAMERA GOING
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