28 OCTOBER 2026 By Sherry Sklar As dusk fell over Papago Buttes, skaters circled Zoni Girls’ bright pink pop-up rink at Desert Botanical Garden to a steady beat during the three-day Saguaro & Skate event in September. Zoni Girls evolved from a skate-inspired clothing brand into an experiential business with an inclusive, local-first focus. It quickly grew through social media. Sisters Paige Alexandria, Tashi Gorzen, and Sasha Gorzen launched Zoni Girls in January 2020 as an apparel and lifestyle brand. The business took an unexpected turn a couple of years later at 2nd Sundays on Mill, a market where the trio ran a booth showcasing their accessories and merchandise. They were preparing to open their first skate shop on Mill Avenue in Tempe, where they would sell their own products as well as boutique lines in the skate, surf, and biking scene. “It’s easy to get large-scale brands, like Vans and Roxy, but we really wanted to highlight local creators,” Alexandria said. In addition to clothes and accessories, customers kept asking if they rented roller skates, which they didn’t have at the time. At their mom’s suggestion to be open to trying new things, they decided to purchase a small fleet of 10 skates, and rentals took off. As the Downtown Tempe Authority (DTA) looked to expand family programming, it invited Zoni Girls to host their first roller-skating pop-up in front of AMC. That fleet grew from 10 skates to 50 and now numbers 1,000. “If you just really listen to your community and don’t get stuck in what you thought the business was going to be,” Alexandria said, “then it opens you up to giving people what they need.” Alexandria and Sasha now primarily run Zoni Girls, with the family still involved in the background. Their mother helps coordinate events and make props by hand, while dad helps with the warehouse and supervises building the skate ramps they need. Alexandria said the close-knit family helps keep one another grounded and laughing. Zoni Girls has hosted pop-up events in Phoenix, Las Vegas, and California. After closing their rink at Arizona Center in February, they now focus on traveling pop-up experiences instead of a permanent location. Their website offers a curated skate shop and boutique merchandise. This fully mobile business model gives them flexibility a permanent location could not. “The more we can travel and get to different communities and see different walks of people and different walks of life is really, really fun for us,” Alexandria said. That sense of community extends to the people who help bring the pop-up events to life. DJ Joey Torres, who has worked Zoni Girls events, said the sisters’ hospitality is what stands out most. “They make you feel safe, whether a team member blocks traffic while another helps you up after that embarrassing fall,” Torres said. “Nobody on the team has to be told what to do. They jump into action, and they genuinely want you to have fun.” He said that spirit carries through the entire event: “The way that they treat their staff bleeds into the experience, and it shows. The staff will sing, dance and engage with guests, the DJs and the vendors.” Zoni Girls is looking toward fall. Alexandria said the company is planning its annual Freak Show for October 23, a Halloween event for ages 21 and older that combines roller skating, music, cocktails and circus-inspired performances. “We try to mix art forms, so it’s not just a roller skating event,” Alexandria said. “You can come and dance, come and just watch, come and have a drink and enjoy and mingle.” The destinations might change, but the goal remains the same for the Zoni Girls: keep rolling into new communities and creating spaces where everyone feels welcome to join the fun. zonigirls.com Just roll with it: Zoni Girls lead community skate events Paige Alexandria, Tashi Gorzen, and Sasha Gorzen launched Zoni Girls in 2020 as an apparel and lifestyle brand that now serves as a pop-up skate rink.