Published: July 24, 2008 11:32 pm      

Skating rink up for sale

Corsicana’s only roller skating rink, X-treme Skate and Family Fun Center, is for sale.

The asking price is $125,000 and includes the building, along with the rental skates and everything right down to the cotton candy machine, according to owner Gay Roach of Nacogdoches.

“I came by this because the previous owner died,” Roach explained in a phone interview. “I’m just trying to get out, is all. I’ve got a couple of good prospects right now, so I hope that it sells soon.”

Marc and Sharla Smith have been operating the business for the last three years, but personal and professional reasons have them hanging up their skates.

The building at 303 S. Seventh St. was formerly a grain warehouse until the late 1960s. It was converted to a skating rink in the 1970s. Formerly Skate-0-rama, the business had declined by the turn of the century, and the Smiths sought to buy it as a family-oriented entertainment center.

It was in bad shape, Sharla Smith said. Her husband, Marc Smith, is pastor at Landmark Baptist Church, and he originally sought it as a place for the youth ministry, but it hasn’t been economically successful.

“We don’t play bad music and allow a lot of things, which some kids may not like,” she said. “Now, we’re just trying to sell it.”

Although there are some potential buyers, the property does have a challenge since it’s landlocked by railroads on two sides and a highway on the third side, Smith said.

“The main thing is the parking,” she said. “That’s all you get is right there.”

However, the price includes all the equipment and the building, Roach said.

“That’s a great price, I think,” she said.

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Janet Jacobs may be reached via e-mail at jacobs@corsicanadailysun.com