BUSINESS NEWS
Gray-8-Skate Family Entertainment Center has a lot happening in the month of October, but bullying is one of the issues they want to bring to the front and center for National Roller-Skating Month.
Joel Shiver, the owner of the facility, said he’s excited about the campaign, everything new they have happening at the rink and about all the new updates they have been working on. He said they have been busy.
“We’ve done a lot of updates since April. We’ve completely finished our laser tag, we’ve remodeled our cafe, we’ve added new things to the menu, and we still have a few more updates we’re going to wait on until the first of the year,” he said. “We just want people to know we have all of this new stuff, and we’re not just a roller-skating rink.”
He said since taking over the business it’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s rewarding. He said he’s excited for all the updates and things to come. He said he enjoys going to work each day.
“October is National Roller-Skating Month, and this year’s campaign is an anti-bullying campaign. We want everyone to know we are partnering to create awareness on this campaign. My goal is to continue to make Gray-8-Skate Family Entertainment Center a fun place for families to come,” Shiver said.
The owner said he hopes to partner with the schools about this campaign, where students pledge to not be a bully. He said if they do so, they will get a pass to come skate at the facility, while creating awareness about bullying.
“A lot of people don’t know what these kids go through,” he said. “Their parents might not even know what is going on, and sometimes we see more than the parents do. We want to be the place these kids can go to and have an outlet.”
Shiver said they are having a trunk-or-treat Oct. 31 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the children in the community to come out and participate in a bit of Halloween fun with costumes. He said later in the month they will also be doing something for his 30th birthday with free skating and cake.
“I’m born to be a business owner, but I had to be in the right business. It’s nice to make money and pay the bills, but it’s nice to have a platform this big to help make a difference and do something good for the community,” he said.
The owner said he’s excited for all of the upcoming events and opportunities at Gray-8-Skate Family Entertainment Center. He said if people have questions about events or anything else, visit https://www.facebook. com/Gray8Skate4151. He said he hopes to see everyone at the facility soon.
“I’m excited to turn 30. I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot, and I’m very blessed to be where I am,” he said. “I’m excited to see what this campaign will do, and I hope we can make a difference in Jones County.”
