ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – An Albuquerque business that faced some tough times is suddenly very popular again, thanks to the filming of Stranger Things. Skate-O-Mania, known to many as Roller Skate City and to children of the 80’s Roller King, is a busy place these days.
Neon Lights and 80’s vibes, fans of the series Stranger Things are getting to immerse themselves into the show at Skate-O-Mania. Blaise Padilla has been working at Skate-O-Mania, aka Roller Skate City, for three years and says it hasn’t been this busy in a long time.
“I watched the first season the year that it came out. I was so invested in the show, so to hear that they would be coming out to my job it was crazy,” said Padilla. “Since Stranger Things, we’ve definitely seen a big increase in customers people coming in from out of state just to take pictures and look at the skating rink. We see people wearing the t-shirts, even people dressed up as the characters. It’s been really cool.”
The rink still looks exactly like it did in the show because the production crew left all its props. It’s helped a business that struggled during COVID, they were shut down for 18 months, and now this place has come back to life.
Malcolm Shelby has been skating at Roller Skate City for 12 years and has noticed the new crowd. “We’re starting to see an influx a lot of adults we have a lot more adults than what we used to in the past, and so that’s really great to see the re-emergence of skating and the skate culture,” said Shelby.
The owner says that’s not just the result of Stranger Things but a new interest in skating during the lockdown of COVID. Either way, they’re just happy to be back in business.
Before the pandemic, Skate-O-Mania would see anywhere from 200 to 300 people on a busy night. They say they are starting to see those numbers again. They have special nights, including Retro Night on Wednesday and an adults-only night on Sunday.
