When three business partners show up to work — entirely by chance — in the same pair of lime green-striped crew socks, it’s clear they have chemistry.
“This was not planned,” the three giggled, hiking up their pant legs to flash their matching “Rainbow Dome”-branded ankles in the entryway of their new space.
Rainbow Dome is a rising queer- and sober-centric hub for roller skating, entertainment, and art – and it recently found a permanent home at 1660 Federal Blvd., just west of Empower Field.
Previously, Rainbow Dome was a pop-up operation, emerging like a Technicolor fever dream to supply roller skating on demand. You might’ve seen the Dome’s skate rink at Sun Valley Night Markets or Adams County Pride celebrations.
But popping up (and breaking down and schlepping gear … you get the gist) is exhausting. So Rainbow Dome’s founders decided to purchase their own forever home.
Now, the team is planning a remodel and raising the final $1 million needed to complete the $12 million project. Much of the initial funding came from Fractured Atlas, an arts service organization. Rainbow Dome is aiming for a grand opening in February or March of 2026.
Until then, pop-up skate events will continue offsite. And craft markets – like the upcoming HoliGay Market, showcasing works by over 80 local LGBTQ+ artists, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 7 and 8 – will invite guests to explore Rainbow Dome’s new building.
There’s a lot of work to be done to turn the space — an old furniture sales floor and subterranean mechanic shop — into a community hub. And there’s even more work to do if your long-term aspirations include a cooperative business model.
But these three people, clad in matching socks, are overcoming one obstacle at a time to make their dream a reality.
Rainbow Dome: an origin story.
The idea for Rainbow Dome didn’t exactly start with roller skating. But it didn’t not start with roller skating, either.
“Therin [Zimmerman] and I originally talked about wanting to create a space that was art-driven, but that art would facilitate community formation,” said Frankie Toan, one of Rainbow Dome’s two co-founders.
A sober-focused space also felt important.
“Every queer space is alcohol-focused,” Zimmerman said. “And not everybody wants that. It's not healthy for everybody. Lots of people are in recovery or choosing not to drink, and it's hard when those are the only spaces that you can interact with to find your community.”
Plus, alcohol hinders programming that’s open for kids, teens and an intergenerational crowd. Those communities are important too, Zimmerman said.
So Zimmerman and Toan started thinking. What could a queer- and sober-friendly gathering space look like? A coffee shop? A coffee shop-art gallery hybrid? They knew they wanted a non-traditional arts space that was accessible and affordable, but beyond that, the vision was murky.
Then, inspiration struck.
“Someone was like, ‘You need a queer roller rink,’” Zimmerman recounted. “And we were like, ‘Well, that's it.’”
The twist: Neither Zimmerman nor Toan knew how to skate.
“We like to say we'll do things that we don’t know how to do. So then we have to learn how to do them,” Zimmerman said.
“Like make a business!” Toan chuckled.
The rigorous agenda of starting a business, acquiring a space and trying to dismantle traditional models of property ownership.
“We did think, naively, that it would be easier to find a space,” Toan admitted.
It took the Rainbow Dome team five years to find and secure the old Ponce building.
Now, with the help of architect Kaci Taylor, they’re figuring out how to transform it into the skate rink of their dreams.
Toan and Zimmerman chose Taylor for her expertise in inclusive and accessible design.
“That's one of our core tenets,” Toan said. “Accessibility through all of Rainbow Dome. So physical accessibility and sensory accessibility and just trying to make the space as friendly as possible to as many people as possible.”
As a queer-centric space, gender-neutral bathrooms are at the top of the agenda. Low-sensory rooms and accessible accessories for the skating rink are also on the list.
In addition to renovating the physical space, the team also wants to remodel the idea of real estate ownership.
When the team first started looking at buildings, “We approached the Center for Community Wealth Building in order to learn more about real estate and financing and just how to make this idea successful,” said Kate Speer, Rainbow Dome’s creative strategist.
Through the Center, she’s been participating in a community-owned real estate academy.
“Real estate is just seeped in capitalism and racism and colonialism,” Speer said. “[But] they've framed the mission [of the academy] as how to think about real estate in equitable terms … and to be able to learn about these structures and to start strategizing ways to undo some of that harm and to do something different.”
This feels especially important in the rapidly gentrifying Sun Valley neighborhood, where Rainbow Dome’s permanent home is located.
Although Rainbow Dome is not yet in a financial position to transition to a cooperative model, Speer has hope for the future.
“What if this community could own this property and generate wealth from it and steward how it grows and changes?” Speer questioned, adding, “That's been really rich to be a part of — to think through how Rainbow Dome can contribute now that we've entered this real estate conversation.”
‘We need places of joy and respite where we can recover, where we can love and laugh and gather — because there's a lot of work that needs to be done out there.’
That’s what Speer believes, especially in a climate that she says feels increasingly hostile towards “queers, black, brown, indigenous folks and disabled folks.”
Bringing Rainbow Dome to life is one way she, Zimmerman and Toan hope to counterprogram that shift — and foster joy on the rink while they’re at it.
“Rainbow Dome: we just want to have fun … rolling around listening to good music,” Toan laughed.
“Just making art and spending time with our community,” Zimmerman said.
Support over 80 local, LGBTQ+ artisans at a pop-up HoliGay Market at Rainbow Dome this weekend, on Saturday, Dec. 7, and Sunday, Dec. 8, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1660 Federal Blvd. Each day includes a different lineup of creatives.
