Reno's well-known roller skating rink is closed for some major upgrades. Roller Kingdom closed August 12 to replace its skate surface. Brad Armstrong bought the business in 1999 and says he made some initial upgrades, but now it's time for even more.

"20 years later with a loan paid off, we're reinvesting in the business and we're really happy to be doing that," Armstrong said. 

The skate surface will cost about $130,000. Armstrong says he has resealed the previous skate surface but that this is the first replacement since 1975. It will be a hardwood surface that covers more than 14,000 square feet.

"It's very rare," Armstrong said. "The old floor was like an inch-and-a-quarter navy pressboard, which is like a plywood, and then we put an epoxy coat on it and this one's made out of maple. It comes from Canada."

The snack bar is also getting some upgrades, including covering a painted wall with tiles.

"We wanted to make it look fresh, make it look new and make some changes around here the best that we can," Armstrong said. 

Armstrong already renovated the restrooms and he changed the carpet just a couple of months ago.

"It's all black light responsive carpet and it looks really good when we get the black lights going," Armstrong said. "We went with kind of an extreme pattern on the carpet because people come in that have skated here for years and they go 'Oh, they haven't even changed the carpet in 30 years,' and we changed it three times in 20 years."

Despite the seller's market, Armstrong says he wants to keep the building as a safe haven, not just for families but for children who come from difficult circumstances, including kids with the Children's Cabinet.

"We've had offers on the building but this is definitely something that the community needs with all the kids to keep them off the streets, keep them off drugs. You've seen the silly commercial," Armstrong said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0LSkX46dS4

Roller Kingdom has been a mainstay in Reno for decades. Armstrong started working for the business in 1992 before eventually buying the business. He says he has seen three generations of people skate there, and that this investment guarantees it will be around for future generations.

Some people say Roller Kingdom brings back good memories from when they were kids. They look forward to seeing the changes for their own kids.

"I grew up in Lake Tahoe so we used to go to Roller Kingdom when I was a kid," Jaclyn Pasteris, Reno resident said. "So yeah, looking forward to it. Now I have an 18-month-old so I'll be able to take him there."

"We'll definitely come down because it's indoors and it's free and gets the energy out of the little guys," Melissa Claybourn, Truckee resident said.

Armstrong says crews will start replacing the roof in mid-September. Once that is finished, he will get the parking lot repaved. He says he is investing about $350,000 on upgrades throughout the property. 

The skate surface is expected to be completed in the coming days. Roller Kingdom is scheduled to re-open on Friday the 13th.

"We usually have between 700-900 people on Friday the 13th because we have Jason come and scare the kids and they love it," Armstrong said. "There's kids we haven't seen in three years but Friday the 13th, they're here."