PORTLAND, Ore. — The Lloyd Center in Northeast Portland is known for ice skating, but a different kind of skate took over this past weekend.
Portland's not-so-secret Secret Roller Disco filled the empty old Marshalls with fun on four wheels. There were events on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The event on Sunday offered lessons for kids and beginners.
"I’ve shopped here before. So it was a little surreal coming back to where I used to buy socks on discount," said April Hasson, the co-founder of Secret Roller Disco.
Hasson and her friend, Francesca, started the Secret Roller Disco during the pandemic.
"We wanted something safe and fun and social to do," Hasson said. "We love just doing something joyous for the community. It’s been something that’s been needed."
That's brought the weekly roller disco to locations throughout the city, but the Lloyd Center takes it to a whole other level.
"It was a dream of ours to be inside Lloyd Center and here we are. We’ve completely transformed the space. You would almost not know where you are," Hasson said.
The Secret Roller Disco has a goal of making skating accessible to everyone and connecting the community.
Anyone interested in attending their events can visit their website or check out the Instagram and Facebook pages for the full schedule.