TEMPE, AZ — The pickleball craze in the Valley continues to expand, this time Tempe will be the home to the newest indoor facility AND it’s now also home to the first U.S. Picklemall location.
“What’s beautiful about pickleball is that you can have three generations all on the same court and they can all play at the same skill level. There’s not another sport like it,” said West Shaw, CEO of Picklemall, to ABC15.
The grand opening for its first location is set for August 5. “We do have a limited number of reservations left. So, you can book a court, but the drop-n-play is already maxed out,” said Shaw and encourages the community to stop by and check out the courts.
The pickleball facility occupies the former At Home store at Arizona Mills; it’s a 104,000-square-foot business that’s now home to more than a dozen pickleball courts.
“So, for this location, we have 16 courts, we’re going to build up to 24 over the next few months,” said Shaw.
The Valley is home to the first Picklemalland according to Shaw, there’s an aggressive expansion in the works for this concept- and are aiming for 50 locations over the next two years.
“Right now in the U.S. malls are struggling to figure out what concepts bring people in... right now, box stores are fleeing malls because of e-commerce,” said Shawn. “Malls are stacked with 100 square foot boxes that they don’t really have a tenant for and that’s where we come in- we need a lot of space, we need tall ceilings, we need great lighting, and so we can come into a space like this and bring in 16 to 24 courts.”
Although the CEO wants to expand throughout the country, he still has his eyes set on Arizona. “We definitely would love to be in Tucson, and the West Valley as well as up North,” said Shaw to ABC15.
IF YOU GO
- Grand opening: Saturday, August 5.
- Location: Arizona Mills [5000 S. Arizona Mills Circle] Suite 313 in Tempe
- What to know before you go: Make a court reservation, walk-ins are accepted but you’ll have to scan a QR code that’s located on the front door of the business.
- Hours of operation: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, hours may adjust, check their website for updates.
* The second video in the player above showcases the best things to do in the Valley, new entertainment ventures and more. Read more about it, right here.
