Midweek Mugging: Coffin Skate Shop

This week’s Midweek Mugging recipients are James Parker, Stephanie Coffin, Frances Parker, and Sam Beeley, partners at Coffin Skate Shop.

Located at 2456 Agricola St., Coffin Skate Shop provides skates, wheels, bearings, toe stops, cushions, laces, and protective equipment for both recreational and roller derby skaters. “We found a need,” said Coffin, who skates with Halifax’s Roller Derby League.

“There was nowhere east of Montreal for people to get any equipment.”

The group began by selling T-shirts with the Coffin Skate logo, to see if there would be any local interest in a store. The original idea was to have a tow-around trailer with merchandise. When the store opened in 2017, it quickly outgrew its first location.

“There’s such a broad range of people that are really just pumped that it’s becoming a thing that’s getting bigger again,” James said.

In addition to long-time and roller derby skaters, the store is also seeing an increase in locals who want to try roller skating for the first time.

“We found this summer an influx of people who had just been recreational skating at the oval,” Frances said. “And then they decide, ‘Ok, I want to do this,’ and now they have their own skates and can grow their passion from there, so it’s super cool to see.”

For those who are new to the sport, the store offers an introductory course every other Sunday in its backroom studio, which can also be rented out for private lessons and small parties. Along with its studio, the store hosts public skating events at the Mayflower Curling Club.

The group encourages anyone who is interested in skating to give it a try.

“I knew nothing about roller derby at first, and now I’m feeling very much in the community,” Beeley said. “It’s a very close-knit, tight community.”  

The store also provides skate repairs and maintenance on site. Getting a chance to play with all the gear is one of James’s favourite things about the store, he said.

“I’m a very hands-on person, so being able to handle people’s skates, and…being able to get people so they can carry on skating, or will learn to skate right off the bat, I find that very satisfying,” he said.

The partners said they see all ages come in to the shop.

“Literally from little children wanting roller skates for the first [time], or older people who have been skating for fifty years and want to get their forty-year old skates tuned up,” Frances said.

“My favourite is the retro skaters who are coming back, who have held on to their skates for 20, 30 years,” Coffin added.