Skate shop rolls onto C-Street

The owner of a tattoo and piercing studio can now add a skate shop to her list of Commercial Street businesses.

Bees Knees Roller Skate Shop opened Aug. 21 at 301 E. Commercial St. The 2,000-square-foot venture owned by Kelsey Baker fills space previously occupied by Beautiful Fight Woodworking LLC, which moved to 219 W. Commercial St.

Baker now owns the East Commercial Street building housing the shop after purchasing it from C.C. Guice for $425,000. Baker said she received a U.S. Small Business Administration loan through Legacy Bank & Trust Co. to help with the transaction. Guice operated retail shop A Wench in the Gear LLC on the other side of the building before recently shuttering it. That roughly 3,000 square feet space is now available for lease, Baker said.

“We wanted to invest in C-Street. We love C-Street; that’s our neighborhood,” Baker said, noting she’s owned Ink Ink LLC across the street from Bees Knees for almost nine years. “I looked at that empty space and I said, ‘You know what? We should put a skate shop in that.’”

Baker said she had recently ordered skates online for herself and the two of her four children who are old enough to use them. However, she felt a local option should be available for roller skating fans.

“I remember when I was a kid skating all the time,” she said. “That’s where really the ’70s vibe and that Bees Knees nostalgia comes in – remembering when we used to do it.”

The four-employee shop focuses on quad skates and accessories, including helmets, socks, shoelaces, kneepads and elbow pads. Baker said skate prices start at $99 and can go up to $400 for customized options. Bees Knees also has a workshop in the lobby for customization or repair work.

“When someone buys skates, we can change out your wheels for you, change out your bearings and laces,” she said, noting products also are available for purchase via the store’s website.