During his tenure on the Napa City Council, Pete Mott surfaced the idea of having better ice rink options in the city, as he found himself frequently driving to Walnut Creek or San Francisco to take his two daughters ice skating during the holidays.
“At the time, I just couldn’t get the support, and I was really frustrated. I came home, and I told my wife … we said, let’s see if we can figure out how to do this ourselves and operate our own ice rink,” said Mott, who also runs a commercial window film business and understands the logistical complexities and challenges of working with numerous suppliers.
After taking matters into their own hands, the couple opened Napa on Ice in 2011, with another location in Marin County soon following. San Mateo on Ice opened several years later in 2015, and by the start of the pandemic, it was the only location that the family-run business decided to focus on. As an 11,000-square-foot space in Central Park, Mott said the venue takes first place as the area’s largest ice skating rink.
But its uniqueness is also what makes it challenging, especially as the winter season is accompanied by storms and rainy weather.
“One of the things that we really believe is that [the ice rink] is not covered. It’s out under the stars, so that can be a real challenge sometimes. Last year, honestly, was a very challenging year for us, because it just rained so much over the weekends and on the holidays,” he said. “We’re very family focused, so when the kids are out of school is when we have most of our business, and so it just made it very difficult for us, because not many people want to skate in the rain.”
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The family focus also extends to a commitment to host several free skate days throughout the season, ensuring economic concerns are not a barrier to enjoying quintessential holiday activities. And for parents of all backgrounds, having an outlet where their children can be outside and not on their phones is an added benefit, Mott stated. The main focus, however, is maintaining an ambiance that reflects the holiday season and spirit.
“The whole concept of the rink is being a pond back east that freezes over and that you can go out with your family and skate on it. That’s the whole premise behind our whole operation,” he said.
For more information on San Mateo on Ice’s hours of operation, go to onicerinks.com.
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