(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago-based developer Hubbard Street Group (HSG) is helping to redevelop a shuttered furniture store in northwest suburban Algonquin into Pickle Haus, which HSG billed as a “pickleball eatertainment” concept expected to open in the fall of 2023.
HSG, which partnered with College Park Athletic Club on Pickle Hause, said plans include turning the site into a 35,000- to 50,000-square-foot space featuring, of course, pickleball, but also golf simulators, lawn games, live music, as well as a full-service restaurant and coffee bar.
Alby Gallun, a senior reporter with Crain’s Chicago Business, covered the new development on Monday. Gallun joined WBBM’s Rob Hart to break down how pickleball has rescued yet another distressed commercial property.
“It’s one solution to a problem that a lot of landlords have, and that is empty retail space,” he said. “In this case … Pickle Haus is coming in and taking over a 41,000-square-foot Dania Furniture store in Algonquin that closed in 2016.”
Gallun said it’s been interesting to watch the growth of eatertainment concepts in the retail industry, which he added pair an athletic activity with food and drinks. The idea — akin to Top Golf — isn’t exactly new, he said.
“We’ve had bowling forever, right?” he said. “They’re taking this concept to golf … ping pong, we’ve had ax throwing, shuffleboard and now pickleball, so this is kind of the latest twist on that idea.”
Over the past few years, pickleball has been touted as the fastest-growing sport in the United States. USA Pickleball, the governing body for the sport of pickleball, estimated that 4.8 million Americans played pickleball in 2021. That represented a nearly 15% increase from 2020 estimates.
Gallun said that current estimates suggest nearly 9 million Americans now play pickleball.
“There has been a lot of growth,” he said. “I think, obviously, a lot of people who are in businesses are betting on that continuing.”
In September 2022, the Chicago Park District said it planned to add 50 pickleball courts — to the current number of 80 — by the end of 2025.
HSG said additional Pickle Haus locations are planned to hit Chicagoland in 2024 and 2025.
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