Mack Schneider has spent a lot of time on skates. First on ice skates as a kid, later as a college athlete on the Ohio State Women’s Club Hockey team, and most recently on roller skates as “The Smacktivist”, a competitor and trainer with the Ohio Roller Girls flat-track roller derby team.
The next step for Schneider begins on November 29th with the grand opening of the Next Level Skate Shop, located at 4410 Indianola Avenue, just south of Morse Road. The decision to open the store was one of pure commitment to the sport.
“To be honest, work was cutting into my training and focus on derby, so I figured I needed to find a way to pay my bills that would let me keep my focus on the one thing that feels the most important to me,” said Schneider. “There’s something in my heart and my soul that feels so plugged in and so connected to this that I know this is exactly what I need to be doing.”
The store will focus specifically on roller-derby essentials: helmets, mouth guards, pads, wheels, skates, socks and other replacement parts and accessories. The only other store of its kind in Ohio is Skater’s Edge in Cleveland, which means that the growing Columbus market is completely unserved locally.
“Whenever folks down here have needed new gear, especially skates, we had three options — drive two hours to get fit up there, get fit at a tournament by a vendor/product booth mid-season, or order online and cross your fingers that things fit and feel the way you want them to,” explained Schneider. “I want to provide better accessibility to good service and appropriate products for all the folks skating around here — I want to take care of my community in that way.”
The new 1,200 square foot store has its opening timed to coincide with Small Business Saturday on November 29th, and will feature snacks, freebies, and high-fives for customers stopping in between 1pm and 8pm. The store will also feature a rep from Riedell Skates on Sunday, November 30th from 1pm to 6pm who can fit customers with skates.
The store will only be open weekends for the time being, with plans for additional hours in the future.
“It’s tricky for me right now because I am still working at my other job Wednesday to Friday to make ends meet,” said Schneider. “That being said, I will happily bring gear to practices or clinics for people to try on and will absolutely open the shop on random days for someone if they just let me know what they need, especially folks that are in from out of town.”
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/NextLevelSkateShop.