Over the last 10 years, roller skating has become more than just a passion for Shayna Meikle, the owner of Pigeon’s Roller Skate Shop.
Meikle first adopted the nickname “Pigeon” during her roller derby days and later integrated the name into her roller skating business.
Prior to owning a business, Meikle was a seventh grade middle school science teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District in the city of Bell. She taught during the day and skated at night.
Meikle is a people person who wants to have a positive influence on her neighborhood and share her passion with others.
“It was definitely a switch in careers. I left teaching specifically because I was so in love with roller skating and because I saw the need for a business in skating to be there,” Meikle said.
“Am I gonna help these kids, or can I make a bigger influence by helping their parents? If their parents can feel better mentally, and if they find something to make themselves feel so confident and happy, then they can be more present with their kids.”
Outside of her career, she is a mom to her 5-year-old daughter, Maple, who loves working at the store. According to Meikle, she is a big inspiration to her daughter who wants to be just like her mom and own Pigeon’s Skate when she’s older.
Her inspiration was driven from the roller skating community itself. She founded Beach Cities Roller Derby in 2012 and believes that it was important to be inclusive.
“Roller derby started as a haven for people who were excluded, even for people with all sorts of mental disabilities, physical disabilities like, roller derby has really catered to that,” she said.
“That’s kind of stemmed from roller derby being started by queer women, you know.”
Meikle hopes that her customers feel welcomed and included in her store, given the fact that a large part of the roller skating community identify as LGBTQ+. Her goal is to not only be inclusive regarding identities, race and everything in between, but to also be budget-friendly.
“Our cheapest skates used to be almost $300 years ago. Now, our cheapest skate is like $69,” she said.
“That has been a really huge shift that has been really, really, good.”
Meikle also owns the skating rink Pigeon’s Roller Rink, located on Second and PCH Mall for two years now. She has brought the community together by organizing events such as the weekly Hip-Hop Night at the community location, the ‘90s Monster Mash Night, the weekly ASL Skater Night, school fundraisers and the Youth Recreation Incentive Program. This youth initiative grants every Long Beach Unified School District student a free pass to the rink if their teachers reach out to Pigeon’s Skate.
Meikle is hosting an event on Nov. 4 from 1 – 6 p.m. to honor the ten year anniversary of her business. Pigeon’s Skate Shop will provide half pipe, face painting, food, drinks and celebratory specials.
“Roller skating is for everybody, even if it takes people different amounts of time to progress, it’s something that everyone can enjoy and I really encourage people to give it a shot because it’s something that is unexpectedly life changing,” Meikle said.