![]() The young greenhorn Ware Bros., who were both in their early 20s, had the financial backing of their father at the outset, but when 63 year-old Elisha Ware died unexpectedly in his office of heat stroke in 1909, a third son-Robert Ware-returned to Chicago from Idaho to join his brothers and bring his marketing and shipping experience to the skate enterprise. In this sense, it was a low risk / high reward investment. Technically speaking, the business already existed before the Wares came along, but it was essentially just a skate shop in name only, with no inventory in stock. The Chicago Roller Skate Company was founded (sort of) in 1905 by brothers Ralph and Walter Ware, sons of a successful Chicago real estate man, Elisha C. History of the Chicago Roller Skate Co., Part I: Wheels of Fortune remained an independent, family-run business in its namesake city. Through that entire period, the Chicago Roller Skate Co. They were donated to the museum in 2021 by his daughter, Carol Crowe Weitzman.īuilt at efficient cost and sold en masse with the average family in mind, “Chicago” skates rode the ebb and flow of roller skating’s general popularity within the culture, from the first big heyday of roller rinks in the 192os to their disco revival in the ’70s. These specific skates were used in the late 1930s and early ’40s by Ray Crowe (1921-2003), the resident “skate master” at his local rink in Drakesburg, Ohio. The rolling portion of the wheels-often made from maple in early models-features a new fiber/plastic construction in the No. The two sets of rusty metal skates in our museum collection-both dating back before World War II-were groundbreaking for their time, offering patented features such as “an interlocking and unbendable Channel Arch, Oversize Ball Bearings, and Oscillating Trucks with Shock Absorbers.” was the superior skate-maker in the country because of its business savvy and instincts for innovation. It’s a bit rude to start the story there, though.įor the vast majority of its history, the Chicago Roller Skate Co. underestimated the phenomenons of inline skating and skateboarding-despite having an inside track on both markets way back in the 1960s. Much as Schwinn had failed to foresee the rise of the mountain bike in the 1980s, the Chicago Roller Skate Co. Yes, cheap foreign imports were a big factor, but strategic missteps also played their role. Once the standard bearers of their industries and the preferred choice of every kid looking for cool, independent modes of transport, these brands were ultimately pulled under by the cruel current of a changing culture. They’re the skates for Y-O-U! Ask Dad for a pair today!” - Advertisement for the Chicago Roller Skate Company’s “Flying Scout” skates, 1931įor much of the 20th century, the Chicago Roller Skate Company was headquartered just a few miles south of another reputable, wheel-based sporting good manufacturer-the Schwinn Bicycle Co.-and in many ways, the stories of the two businesses would unfold in the same fashion. ‘Chicagos,’ the Choice of Champions, have established more World’s Records than all others, yet cost less in the long run. But, Oh Boy! On ‘Chicagos’ he whizzes to the lead like a flash. “They used to call him ‘Slow-Poke’ when he had those old-fashioned, slow, hard-rolling skates. Made By: Chicago Roller Skate Company, 4458 W. ![]() 1939) and Chicago Skates without boots (c. Museum Artifacts: Chicago Roller Skates w/ Boots and No.
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