OUR STORY
OUR STORY
"Being dance-skaters ourselves it is our mission to get other dance-skaters everything they need, from basic setups to customized boots mounted on the best plates."
"Being dance-skaters ourselves it is our mission to get other dance-skaters everything they need, from basic setups to customized boots mounted on the best plates."
With love for everything with wheels, Marcel & Esther are the dedicated owners of this home-based shop in De Pijp in Amsterdam. While drinking the best home brewed coffee you've tasted, you can see and try the rollerskates that you've always wanted, right at their kitchen table.
With love for everything with wheels, Marcel & Esther are the dedicated owners of this home-based shop in De Pijp in Amsterdam. While drinking the best home brewed coffee you've tasted, you can see and try the rollerskates that you've always wanted, right at their kitchen table.
"Esther: "I've been riding Riedell skates ever since buying a pair of wonderful 120 boots in 2011 at Jesse Halpern's skate shop in Great Neck, New York. We are proud to be able to provide the Dutch rollerskate scene with the opportunity to come and try their dream rollerskates a little bit closer to home!"
"Esther: "I've been riding Riedell skates ever since buying a pair of wonderful 120 boots in 2011 at Jesse Halpern's skate shop in Great Neck, New York. We are proud to be able to provide the Dutch rollerskate scene with the opportunity to come and try their dream rollerskates a little bit closer to home!"
GINGER SKATES CUSTOM ROLLERSKATE SERVICE is run by Marcel van Stralendorff and Esther Molenaar. There is no brick and mortar shop, the rollerskate service is executed from our home in Amsterdam: Sint Willibrordusstraat 11, 2nd floor.
Marcel is an independent sound engineer for film and tv, Esther is a haptotherapist with her own therapy practice in the centre of Amsterdam. We have a 9yr old daughter called Charlie.
This custom rollerskate service came to life in 2016, for the love of skating. In between our regular jobs, you are welcome to come over for a bootfitting and to purchase rollerskate gear like wheels, laces bearings etc.
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY!
Ginger skates is best reached by foot or bike. Car parking spots are available in the street and surrounding area but can be rare and parking is expensive (6 euro / hr).
HOW IT WORKS
IF YOU CAN'T COME OVER FOR A BOOTFITTING WE WILL ASK YOU TO MEASURE YOUR FEET FOR US ACCORDING TO THIS DESCRIPTION:
Please know that we handle e-mails and orders in between our other jobs and family life. The entire process of getting new skates will take time, thank you for your patience!
Length: stand with one foot on a piece of paper (full weight on your foot), line the paper and your heel up against the wall, mark where your biggest toe is, measure the distance between the mark and the back side of the paper (heel side). Measure both feet.
Width: wrap a piece of rope (laces for example) around the widest part of your foot (near the ball of your foot usually). Measure the circumference of your feet by measuring the required length of the rope in cm's.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR BOOTFITTING SESSION:
Please be sure to check the SHOP and the different skates we sell so you know upfront what models appeal to you and are within your budget. Bring your current skates if you have them for reference.
We have a nice selection of fitting models of the Riedell 120, Riedell 220 and Riedell 172 models. From the models Riedell 336 and Riedell 3200 we have a few so that you can see them up close but we don't have all sizes. We do have all sizes Moxi Lolly skates to try on :-)
After your fitting session, when you know what type of skates is best for you, your skate style and your feet, we will start the ordering process. If you want to have a color lab skate we will send you the appropriate form to fill in and will do double checks on the forms. Please know that current production time for almost all models is between 8 and 12 weeks. Update summer of 2021: some models even take 3 to 4 months!
We always ask for a downpayment of about 30% upon ordering. The rest of the invoice can be paid when the skates have arrived in the Netherlands.
ALL OF OUR SKATES ARE FROM THE BRAND RIEDELL.
a small factory in Red Wing USA. Almost all of the models are handmade in that factory. For an impression, see the video of our visit there in 2018. This was a dream come true (think 'charlie and the chocolate factory :-)
To get you the right size plates we will need to know the preferred wheelbase. The wheelbase is the distance between the front trucks and the back trucks, measured from the centre of the screw to the centre of the screw (with screw I mean where your lock nut is placed to keep the wheel on).
It helps to find out what your current wheelbase is, so please measure this distance between the trucks of your current plates and let us know if you feel this wheelbase is good for you. A smaller wheelbase gives you more maneuverability, a bigger wheelbase gives you more stability. Most dance-skaters tend to go for a shorter wheelbase, most street and/or park skaters tend to go for a bigger wheelbase. However this is a very personal choice and you will be the only one who knows what feels good for you.