Summer Southern: Rolling into new opportunities

September 2023

Popcorn is popping, upbeat music is blaring from loud speakers, wheels are spinning as fast as skaters can move. After only two months of closure, Star Wheels Skate Center is back open, and better than ever. 

In a quaint town in southern middle Tennessee, a business known by many is being made anew. Summer Southern, lifelong resident of Fayetteville, has recently purchased Star Wheels Skate center from its previous owner, Tim Mitchell. 

At the age of 78, Mitchell has retired from running his business, Southern, 41, jumped at the opportunity to carry on one of her favorite things about the town she calls home, the skating rink. 

This age-old activity has been captivating residents of Lincoln County for decades. Southern said she had many memories of star wheels, her mom, aunt and uncle all worked there in their younger years, and having worked there in high school herself, she was more than familiar with the business. 

This is not however Southern's only iron in the fire in Fayetteville. Professionally, she works selling Apache Helicopters for the US government. But it doesn't end here, she has her real estate license in both Alabama and Tennessee.

“I also run a nonprofit, and that takes up quite a bit of my time,” said Southern. 

This nonprofit is the Quatina M Wolaver Foundation of hope, which Southern founded in 2018 in memory of her aunt. The foundation focuses on raising ovarian cancer awareness, raising money for ovarian cancer patients in the area, and raising research funds. 

Southern started This nonprofit when her aunt, Quatina passed away after a battle with ovarian cancer. It was a little known disease that there was hardly any education on; and she wanted to change that. She made it her mission to educate the women of her town on the disease that impacted her so greatly, she said. She wanted everyone to know the symptoms, and know exactly why it was so dangerous. 

One of Quatinas favorite hobbies was roller skating. Southern was happy to be given the chance to carry on the legacy of a business that not only means a lot to her town, but also to her family. 

Southern didn't want a place like this to become something else, she wanted it to stay a skating rink, and to continue to be a place where people could come together. 

She also wanted to take care of a place that she knew her family loved so much, she wanted to grow it, and make it better. 

The grand reopening of the rink is Saturday, October 21, 2023. She has done a lot to prepare. There has been serious remodeling happening at the rink, and had help from the whole family to get to the point that they're at now. 

This business has been running, and popular, since 1982. It has not closed since then, and residents of the town have made lasting memories in the years since. 

“Quatina taught me how to skate there!” said one student when reminiscing on the rink and the new owners. 

“Some of my best childhood memories happened there!” said Winter Lones.

“One time I fell and did the splits in front of everyone!” said Alana Bryant.

“My mom and I both worked there for a few years, I've spent countless nights tearing that place up,” said Hannah Brock.

Tessa Lewis said that a 1950s themed elementary school birthday party, ended in a trip to the emergency room, wearing her poodle skirt, after a game of chase on skates went wrong.

Many had memories of countless birthday parties and school celebrations that happened at the rink, couples have even gotten married at Star Wheels. It is a place that everyone loves, and people come together to celebrate there. 

Since Southerns purchase of the rink, it has undergone a transformation. The bathrooms have been completely stripped out and are now bigger and more accessible. The entire building has been repainted. The floors have new carpet and the arcade games have all been swapped for new ones. The concession stand has also been completely revamped, with new options that were not offered before. 

After weeks of teamwork involving southern, her husband, parents, sisters, aunt and uncles, nieces and nephews, the rink is ready for its grand reopening.