While recent research still shows that pickleball — a unique hybrid game that combines aspects of tennis, table tennis and badminton — is still the fastest-growing sport in America, two pickleball retailers on the city’s North Side have quietly closed their doors over the holidays.
After two years in operation, Pickleball Giant — a locally owned and operated retail store located off Loop 1604 and Bitters Road that specialized in pickleball equipment, including paddles, bags and shoes — has shut down. Love-15 Tennis and Pickleball — located off Loop 1604 in Stone Oak — has also permanently closed in recent weeks.
The owners of the stores could not be reached for comment on the closures.
Local pickleball enthusiasts have called the closures a loss for the area, however they remain optimistic about pickleball in San Antonio and the sport’s continued growth.
“Nearly everyone I knew loved to go [to Pickleball Giant] to demo paddles, interact with staff, and it became a sort of staple among many players I knew,” said Chandler Eyre, who has been playing the sport for five years. “I do still feel like there are good options to find gear, but the sentiment I gathered from everyone was that they were sad to see it go — and surprised.”
Ramon Florez, a pickleball instructor at LifeTime Fitness off U.S. Highway 281, said he is often asked by new players about which paddle to start with, and would point beginners to both stores. Florez said the staff were able to give San Antonio residents personal service and help them on their pickleball journey.
“It’s sad — I wish more players would support local businesses,” Florez said.
Florez says the pickleball scene in San Antonio is still thriving, though. He adds he hasn’t had an empty introductory pickleball class at LifeTime in more than a year.
Local entreprenuer Jennifer Block, owner of Epoch Pickleball, agreed. Block and her husband opened the indoor pickleball facility to the public in August, and said they have seen continued growth in court rentals, events and memberships since then.
“The [pickleball] community here has been very welcoming, we love the community,” Block said.
Block told the San Antonio Report that while she sells a couple of pickleball gear brands to her members and visitors, retail is not her business’s main focus. The options offered at Epoch were also mostly established through local partnerships and relationships Block has made since opening the facility with local manufacturers and sales representatives, she said.
“We carry one or two of each paddle and that’s really it,” Block said. “So many people buy their gear either online or directly from a manufacturer, and the manufacturers are able to offer really low deals that are incredibly difficult to counter.”
Block said the partners she works with also often rotate which paddles or gear options they offer within her facility because the technology of the sport is evolving so fast. It can be extremely difficult to keep up with the speed at which pickleball gear is changing, she said.
E-commerce has changed the game when it comes to buying pickleball gear, said Michael Castillo, owner of FIT High Performance Tennis Academy and Pickleball Center. Castillo said he carries very few pickleball paddles and gear at his outdoor facilities because so many people buy their gear online on Amazon or through wholesale providers.
It was probably difficult for Pickleball Giant to have a high enough profit margin, Castillo said, while also paying for a brick-and-mortar shop, salaries for employees and investing in new gear — all while trying to offer lower prices than online sellers.
Ongoing construction and road closures on Loop 1604 at Stone Oak also likely affected sales at Love-15 Tennis and Pickleball. The $1.4 billion Loop 1604 North Expansion project began in May 2021 and is expected to be completed in 2028.
But one pickleball gear supplies appears to be doing well: Gearbox, a California-based company that makes high-tech sports equipment, including pickleball paddles, apparel and accessories. President/CEO and founder Rafael Filippini, who lives in and operates the business from San Antonio, said his company’s sales are flourishing.
“Our sales are very strong and continue to grow tremendously,” Filippini said.
The pro-shop business is very tough if you’re not finely tuned in with market needs, Filippini said.
He added that the city’s pickleball scene may not be ready for too many pickleball-only pro-shops. There are not enough top-level players in San Antonio to support the continuous sale of high-end goods, he said.
“Overall, the pickleball market here is healthy and continues to grow,” Filippini said. “Competition amongst brands is strong — but that is separate from pickleball participation.”
Castle Hills tennis retail shop owner Rich Flores, owner and founder of First Serve Tennis, said he hopes to help fill the gap now left in the local market.
Flores, who’s been in business in the San Antonio area since 1989, said while his shop has been carrying some pickleball products since 2020, he and his team didn’t really advertise that they carried pickleball gear because he is good friends with Robert Wood, the founder and owner of Pickleball Giant.
“I didn’t want to jump in his lane,” Flores said. “But since they closed their doors, we’ve had an uptick in the phone calls asking if we carry pickleball paddles,” Flores said.
