SKATE EMPORIUM

Owners: Dena Hazen and Sharon Bogan

Address: 122 W. Emma Ave., Springdale, 72764

Phone: 927-3456

Hours: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays

Start-Up Date: December

The new Jones Center for Families in Springdale has become a social center for the the entire Northwest Arkansas community, but it’s also creating opportunities for savvy business owners.

One such company, Skate Emporium in Springdale, is a direct beneficiary of the center’s new ice-skating rink.

The Emporium sells competition-grade hockey and figure skating equipment.

Owner Dena Hazen says Skate Emporium is trying to get a figure skating club going, and adult hockey leagues are already facing off at the new arena. Youth teams are forming in coming weeks, so Hazen sees a big demand on the way for quality skating products.

“We’re probably the only shop in Springdale that has the competitive figure skates,” Hazen says. “And we have more hockey equipment than anyone else in town.”

The cost of a pair of hockey skates ranges from $55 to $350. The store also carries pants, jerseys, helmets and other equipment for the sport.

Hazen’s husband, Rick, was hired by the new center to manage the ice rink, and Dena decided a skate supply store was in order for the Springdale area. Rick Hazen had been manager of the Tulsa Ice Arena, and Dena was a figure skating coach there.

“When we moved down here, we figured we might as well open up a shop,” she says.