Lisa S.
Yelp
DO NOT come here -- especially if you value professionalism and basic human decency.
I came for a child's birthday party, and while skating, I took a serious fall and hit the back of my head. The skates I was given kept sticking and stopping unexpectedly, which is what caused the fall. Two friends came to help me, and a few people nearby offered words of comfort, concerned I might have a concussion due to how hard the impact was.
As I walked toward the entrance to find the birthday child's parent -- who had stepped out to take gifts to the car -- an older woman in a dashiki suddenly began yelling at me. I was still disoriented and had no idea she even worked there. She had apparently been yelling for a while, but I couldn't make out what she was saying. I calmly explained that I had paid and had just taken a hard fall. Her response?
"Well, go on then."
Go on where? I wasn't about to walk back into a space where I was being shouted at while still physically shaken.
Mind you, I had seen other people coming in and out, so I assumed that was allowed. That made her outburst even more confusing.
My family came over, trying to understand what was going on. I was still trying to de-escalate the situation, but the calmer I was, the more aggressive she became. Then she said, "I didn't say you didn't pay." So... what was all the yelling for?
Later, several people from our group shared that they too had been yelled at by the same woman. It was unbelievable how many of us had the same story. And yes -- we were all people of color.
I called to speak with a manager afterward and got someone who wasn't one. She said she couldn't do anything because the woman had worked there a long time, was a senior citizen, and held the same position as her. She went on and on until I finally said, "I'm older, my house burned down in the LA fires, and I may have a concussion -- so what are we doing here?"
We will never return, and I strongly urge others to avoid this place. Poor equipment, aggressive staff, and no accountability -- this is not a place I'd recommend for any family event.