The Picklr, North America’s fastest-growing indoor pickleball franchise according to the company, has officially launched its newest location at Eldorado Plaza in McKinney. Whitestone REIT, the property’s owner, announced the opening, which brings the rapidly growing racket sport to the city’s residents and visitors.
The opening of The Picklr represents a strong upgrade in terms of tenant quality at the Trader Joe’s-anchored center, Whitestone said.
Whitestone REIT COO Christine Mastandrea said the company is “thrilled to welcome The Picklr to Eldorado Plaza and capitalize on the strong wave of interest in pickleball.”
When looking to fill the former Bed, Bath and Beyond space, Mastandrea said Whitestone REIT “wanted to partner with an exciting brand that is benefiting from the health and fitness trend and draws traffic to the center, and that’s exactly what The Picklr will do.”
“No sport brings people together quite like Pickleball,” she said in a statement.
We first told you about The Picklr in September.
Pickleball facilities popping up here, there, everywhere
The Picklr in McKinney joins a widening community of indoor pickleball companies. In May, indoor pickleball facility company Dill Dinkers announced its 14th regional development deal with local business partners who have committed to open “at least 50 locations” in the North Texas area—including in Euless, Southlake, Keller, Frisco, Little Elm, McKinney, and Mansfield.
Maryland-based Dill Dinkers joins a growing list of other pickleball venues already operating in or coming to North Texas—including Pickleball Kingdom in Plano, Pickle and Social in Frisco, Picklemall in Dallas, and The Picklr in Dallas and Fort Worth.
Anchored by Trader Joe’s, Starbucks, Hollywood Feed, and Christina’s Mexican Restaurant, The Picklr at Eldorado Plaza adds a key category, athletics, to the current lineup of businesses, Whitesone said.
Along with increasing Eldorado’s foot traffic, The Picklr helps the center better meet the needs of the surrounding community with a best in-class operator capitalizing on a sport designed to draw together people of all ages.
The Picklr announced that 38 new clubs will open across the U.S., with 52 additional leases in final negotiations for openings in 2024 and 2025.
In February, The Picklr said that former NFL quarterback Drew Brees, one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, was named brand ambassador, along with being an investor, as well as owner/area developer of 20 Picklr franchises.
The Picklr has announced a strategic partnership with Pickleball Inc., aligning two of the largest brands in pickleball and set to drive franchise growth and new memberships at Picklr locations.
‘Explosive growth’ in McKinney
Whitestone bought Eldorado Plaza in 2017.
In 2023, Whitestone recaptured the remaining Bed Bath and Beyond lease during that retailer’s bankruptcy process
“McKinney is experiencing explosive growth,” Mastandrea said. “Surrounded by Frisco, Allen and Plano, the entire area continues to benefit from being a very business friendly environment and is steadily attracting companies and young families.”
Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.
Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.
R E A D N E X T
-
Now a quarter-century old, the Dallas-based cognitive neuroscience facility has grown from a “ragtag team” to a globally significant research institute dedicated uniquely to building better brain function. Here’s how it happened under chief director Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD.
-
The UT Southwestern researchers’ noninvasive model uses a standard MRI, paired with machine learning AI, to detect the presence of cancer cells in the lymph nodes under the arms.
-
In a world reshaped by remote work and virtual services, do Americans still believe that owning a car is essential to getting ahead? Researchers investigated how vehicle ownership impacts upward mobility post-pandemic—from employment to social benefits.
-
If you live in North Texas and aren’t into pickleball, you’re in a bit of a pickle—because the hot new sport just keeps on rolling in. Now Utah-based The Picklr, an operator of 7 indoor pickleball facilities in Utah and Colorado, has announced a major national expansion including 80 new facilities and 13 new franchisees—and some of them will be paddling into Dallas-Fort Worth.
-
Saturday’s event is one of many marking this year’s 150th anniversary of Dallas’ historic Deep Ellum neighborhood. Saturday’s event will begin just down the street from the center beneath an overpass, where attendees will experience the Center’s outdoor installation, “Invisible Deep Ellum,” followed by a live music performance at the new center by the Light Crust Doughboys.