The first recorded use of roller skates was in a London stage performance in 1743. The inventor of this skate is lost to history. The first recorded skate inventor was Jean-Joseph Merlin, who demonstrated a primitive inline skate with metal wheels in 1760. This Belgian inventor wore the first pair of quad skates back in 1760. Wanting to show off his new quad skates, he wore them to a London party. People thought his new invention was great fun, until he smashed and broke a mirror in his host's home.The first patented roller skate design was patented in France by M. Petitbled, in 1819. These early skates were similar to today's inline skates, but they were not very maneuverable; it was very difficult with these skates to do anything but move in a straight line and perhaps make wide sweeping turns. During the rest of the 19th century, inventors continued to work on improving skate design.

A Massachusetts businessman named James Plimpton added a feature to roller skates that allowed people to make turns. He may even have opened the first skating club. That was in 1863. His new model allowed for fancy figure eight turns and gentlemen would practice for hours to impress the ladies. Over the years, women started wearing the wheels and a family pastime was born.

With improvements in the wheels and special floors designed to make skating more fun, modern centers opened up in the 1970's, with music and lighting that made it a social event and roller skating enjoyed another boom in popularity.

In response to the growing trend that was roller skating, Riedell stood out as a quality manufacturer of roller skates and skate products. You can find a variety of Riedell products here at Low Price Skates. Riedell remains a family business, owned and operated under its third generation with the same basic philosophy - to produce and offer only the finest quality skates available in the market. Riedell is dedicated to continue making hand crafted skates from only the finest leathers and materials by skilled craftsmen.
For over 60 years, Riedell has been the leading innovator in the roller skating market. Riedell offers the finest skating boots available and has introduced complete packages with top quality components featuring Radar Wheels, PowerDyne plates and Kwik bearings. Whether you are a world class skater, or skating for the first time, Riedell skates will cover your every need.