YORK — Pickleball enthusiasts will have a new option for year-round play as a new indoor pickleball facility is slated to open at The Marquis shopping complex off Route 199 later this year.
The Picklr, which is dubbed the world’s largest indoor pickleball club, plans to open a franchise location at 120 Gristmill Plaza, the site of a former Dick’s Sporting Goods. Dick’s shuttered its doors in late 2021.
WAYMOR Sports Inc. leased the 45,781-square-foot space with plans to open by the end of the year, according to Cushman & Wakefield/Thalhimer.
The Picklr Williamsburg will boast more than a dozen courts for pickleball play, along with locker rooms, a pro shop and a private event space, a news release said. There will be opportunities for league and tournament play, as well as drop-in play. Each pickleball court will be equipped with pro-quality surfacing, The Picklr’s “signature, high-contrast ‘black box’ environment with an overhead sound-reduction baffle matrix system and integrated low-glare lighting,” according to the release.
The Picklr has pickleball clubs in 18 states, with the only other facility in Virginia located in Fredericksburg. Pickleball, a sport described as a combination of tennis, ping pong and badminton, has grown in popularity across the country in recent years. Suitable for all ages, the sport can be played both outside and inside, though options for indoor play locally have been limited until now.
Local players said they’re looking forward to the upcoming opening of The Picklr, which would help fill space at The Marquis, which has lost some big tenants in recent years. Last year, Foundations Church Williamsburg said it was in the process of buying the former JCPenney building and turn it into a church and child care center.
JCPenney closed in 2015, although Target, Best Buy and Kohl’s remain. The shopping center is located in York County near the intersection of Route 199 and Interstate 64, near Water Country USA.
“Picklr coming to Williamsburg is great,” said Ellen Minter, an avid pickleball player who started the group PickleDillies that plays at Quarterpath Recreation Center. “It will be a valuable addition to the pickleball community in and around Williamsburg.”
Jeff Anthony, founder of the club Pickleburg, which has more than 1,300 members, said The Picklr will be a welcome asset.
“This game has exploded locally, nationally, globally,” he said. “The local/regional demand for first class public and private sector venues isn’t slowing down, not by a long shot. And that’s a good thing. Pickleball is a big tent sport. It demands big tent opportunities to participate.”
In addition to The Picklr, the new indoor sports complex — a joint venture between Williamsburg, James City County and York County that recently broke ground — will also feature pickleball courts when it opens in 2026 on the grounds of the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center.
Representatives from both The Picklr and the indoor sports complex will be on hand to answer questions about the new facilities during a Williamsburg pickleball meeting on Aug. 21 at 6 p.m. at Revolution Golf and Grille, 1430 High St.
For more information on The Picklr Williamsburg, visit thepicklr.com/location/williamsburg.
Brandy Centolanza, bcentolanza@cox.net
