APPLETON (NBC 26) — At one time, you could come to the East Appleton Best Buy, walk through the front doors, and pick up a computer or laptop. Then, it became a place to rent books or find a quiet spot to study.
Now, come December, the newest tenant says this space will be for breaking a sweat.
- A new pickleball facility, Pickleball Kingdom, is opening next month in Appleton in the former Best Buy building near State Highway 441.
- The venue will feature 11 courts and memberships starting at $85 a month.
- Co-owner Mark Danen of Next Level Pickleball says the sport is "exploding" across Northeast Wisconsin.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Pickleball Kingdom plans to open in what was once a Best Buy, just off State Highway 441. The Best Buy closed in 2020, and the space briefly housed the public library in 2022. For the past two years, the building has sat vacant.
The Pickleball Kingdom website says the facility will feature 11 courts and memberships starting at $85 per month when it opens next month. While the company isn’t ready to share more details yet, it’s clear that the sport’s popularity is surging in the Paper City.
To explore the growing enthusiasm for pickleball, NBC 26 visited Next Level Pickleball, another local pickleball business that opened in July. Co-owner Mark Danen says they created the space out of their love for the game.
“We kind of consider Next Level Pickleball the Airbnb of pickleball,” Danen says. Danen adds the idea for Next Level Pickleball came about after he saw a lack of indoor, rent-anytime pickleball courts in the area.
Blong Xiong, a player who took up pickleball this summer, says the sport’s accessibility and excitement are fueling its rapid growth.
“There’s a craze going on—everyone and their mother is playing it. It takes a little bit of everyone, and I just think it’s fun overall,” Xiong said.
Pickleball Kingdom plans to open later in December and says it’s eager to invite the entire community to come out and play.
