Temporary Pocket Plaza opens as Skate Park Construction continues
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – As construction continues on the Chattanooga Skate Park, Cassette Skateshop has opened what they are calling a Pocket Plaza.
The temporary skating area is now open to the skating community while the new park is being built.
News 12 stopped by to speak with local skaters who say the space is filling an important gap.
“Nick Moore, who owns Cassette Skateshop, is really the one who made all this happen,” skater Collin Woods said. “A lot of people had their hands in it, but he was the one who really pushed for this. Having this now, since we do not have a skate park, is incredible.”
While the city’s main skate park remains under reconstruction, skaters say they are grateful to have another place to ride.
“Yeah, I love it,” skater Brandon Boettinger stated. “This is a great place to skate while they are doing construction at the skate park downtown. It is good to have a place where people can come together and have some fun.”
Woods said excitement is also building for what the new skate park will eventually look like.
“There are drawings and blueprints of what the park is going to look like,” Woods explained. “It is getting national attention. Big Instagram accounts are posting it. It is going to be nice enough that people will travel here just to skate the park.”
Parents say the skate park serves as more than just a place to ride.
It is a meeting place for young people across the community.
“Our skate park is sort of a meeting place for kids from all different communities,” Jeff McCullough, a parent of a local skater, said. “We have all come together to make this happen.”
Some skaters believe keeping the Pocket Plaza around even after construction ends could benefit the community.
“At our old park and other parks, you are going to get bored of it eventually after you skate it,” skater Jonah McCullough said. “So it is good to have another place where you can go skate.”
Jeff McCullough agreed.
“We would love to see it stick around,” he elaborated. “If not here, then in another location. The new skate park could be intimidating for some younger kids and even older guys like me.”
For now, while construction continues downtown, the Pocket Plaza is giving Chattanooga’s skate community a place to gather, practice, and stay connected.
And whether you plan to roll through yourself or simply stop by to watch, the temporary space is proving to be a welcome addition to the city’s skating scene.
