A store dedicated to roller skating recently opened in Fort Myers. Rotten Hearts is run by Cammi Laboa and Jessica Blair, who met while playing for the Fort Myers Roller Derby League. With the nearest skate shop located in Tampa, the two women decided to open their own store dedicated to skaters of all levels.
“It was an idea we were throwing around in the back of a truck on the way to a three-hour game, and had a dream about it a few weeks later, and I told Jess ‘Hey, I had a dream that we owned this skate shop, and it was super cool, we should do it,’” Laboa said.
“There are a lot of skaters out here, but there’s no hub for them. We plan on making this a place you want to go, get merch, get skates, but also hang out. We plan on hosting our own clinics like taking care of your skates, watch parties, whether that be for roller derby or cool movie nights. We just want to make this a place where everyone can feel accepted and at home,” Blair said.
Laboa and Blair built their store from the ground up, with bright hand-painted walls and self-constructed furnishings. They stock skates for children, beginners, professionals, and everything in between. Their goal is to invite those young and old to get involved, as a hobby or for sport, and introduce more people to the world of roller-derby and roller-skating.
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