The largest indoor pickleball venue in Richmond, Virginia, is relocating to the southwest of the state. Performance Pickleball, which recently opened its first facility at Regency Mall in Henrico’s West End, has announced plans to shift its operations to Roanoke.
Ten Indoor Courts
Co-founded by Jon Laaser and Lee Warfield, Performance Pickleball will set up its new facility in a leased space within the indoor Spectrum Sports Academy near Interstate 581, close to the Roanoke-Blacksburg regional airport. This new venue will feature 10 indoor courts, event spaces, a pro shop, and a dining concept similar to Richmond’s Kitchen RVA, named Kitchen ROA for Roanoke.
The decision to expand follows the successful launch of the Richmond location in December, which saw the conversion of a section of a former Macy’s department store into a 41,000-square-foot pickleball haven with an impressive dozen courts. The current membership of 435 pays monthly fees ranging from $39 to $199 and hourly rates starting at $6.
Read our article about how indoor pickleball facilities are coping with the challenge of noise reduction.
Confident About The Brand’s Appeal
Warfield, also the CEO of local real estate giant Thalhimer, was confident about the brand’s appeal and its potential to thrive in new markets. Laaser, who moved from broadcasting to co-founding Performance Pickleball, highlighted Roanoke as a strategic choice for expansion, emphasizing the need to first stabilize operations in Richmond before venturing further.
“Roanoke was always the second location that we were eyeing,” Laaser said. “We certainly wanted to get our feet under us here a bit and iron out some of the operational kinks.”
Ownership of the Roanoke venture will be shared between Laaser, Warfield, and a distinct group of investors, possibly including backers from both Richmond and Roanoke. Despite Roanoke’s smaller size compared to Richmond, Warfield noted the city’s growing pickleball community and the lack of dedicated indoor facilities made it an ideal location for their next endeavor.
“There’s a real shortage of places to play there, certainly nothing indoors of anything to scale,” he said. “Some outdoor courts are starting to pop up, but it’s far less than what we see in Richmond.”
Read more about the pickleball scene in Virginia here.
Construction Scheduled For The Summer
In preparation for the Roanoke launch, Performance Pickleball has collaborated with local pickleball enthusiasts, notably the Roanoke Ruckus Club. Tim Cass, a co-founder of the Ruckus, has been appointed as head pro and director of instruction at the new venue.
Construction on the Roanoke facility is scheduled to commence in the summer, and the duo aims to open before the end of the year.
Laaser highlighted the pickleball-friendly aspects of the Spectrum, particularly its high ceilings. This contrasts with the challenges the couple faced when they had to retrofit the former Macy’s space in Richmond.
“It has none of the challenges of ceiling height like we had here (at Regency),” Laaser said of Roanoke. “Our build timeline isn’t nearly as long.”
Further Expansion
Looking ahead, Warfield hinted at the possibility of further expansion beyond Richmond and Roanoke, with Hampton Roads identified as a prospective market. Interest in the PPB concept has also gone beyond state boundaries due to the company’s success in revitalizing vacant retail spaces.
“We definitely have gotten inquiries from people from several states,” he said.
