In January 2025, Wendy Humphries and her brother opened Warehouse Pickleball in Kensett, Arkansas, 50 miles outside Little Rock, with a love for the sport and a desire to create a welcoming environment for others who loved pickleball too. Now over a year into running the club, Wendy is happy to share what she’s learned and offer tips to other new owners to help grow their clubs and create the culture they want.
Wendy’s first piece of advice is to work with what you have. Warehouse Pickleball consists of three indoor and one outdoor court housed in a converted warehouse. The courts are the first non-public courts in the area and were built by her brother when he was having a hard time getting time on the public courts.
When deciding upon a pricing structure, she spoke with people in similarly sized places, and they shared notes. “Most of the people here were used to playing for free outside or at the community center on taped off basketball courts for almost free,” Wendy says. “Keeping our general location and population in mind after speaking with others, we decided to keep our membership dues reasonable and offer open play at a fair price.”
She recommends persistence and understanding that it will take time. It took time for the community to recognize that the club was available when the weather was poor, and then to realize the overall benefits of playing indoors and being able to reserve court space. Now players are realizing, “Oh, I really like playing inside!”
Warehouse Pickleball also places a large focus on making it easy for new players to get up to speed. As pickleball grows, the gap between new and experienced players is growing. Wendy noticed some of her newer players felt intimidated by players with more advanced skills, even though it wasn’t intentional. She decided to lean in to the new players and make it a welcoming place for them, and players of any level.
All leagues at Warehouse Pickleball are clearly structured, allowing for all players to find their level. Wendy knows if players don’t have a great experience the first time, they won’t come back.
“I truly believe pickleball can be for everyone, and our club works hard to reflect that philosophy in everything we do. If I don’t recognize a player, I introduce myself! Creating a welcoming atmosphere has been adopted by all of our members, and I can see it’s making a positive difference in our membership numbers.”
Warehouse Pickleball believes so firmly in an open and friendly environment that the club’s expectations are clearly posted inside, on the website and on Court Reserve as well. Clear communication allows the club to reset social norms as needed, even if they are tough conversations. This philosophy helps newer players acclimate to the game and experienced players work alongside them as coaches.
“We don’t think kindness, inclusion and accountability are too much to ask,” says Wendy.
“Our members are great, and I can tell we are establishing a good ‘vibe’ here”.
With a club philosophy in place and steady members, Wendy advises new clubs to lean into leagues as a revenue stream and a way to build community.
Wendy advises trying different types to see what works for your members. Do they like ladder leagues or skill brackets? Talk to them about the length of the leagues and what times work best. It isn’t an exact science, and the best way to see what works for your club is to keep an ear to the ground and be involved.
Once you feel locked in with a good playing base and system for handling beginners, it’s time to start advertising to the masses.
An easy and low-cost way is to promote your club and programming on the area Facebook pickleball pages. Simply search and join and post what’s happening! Once players realize there are options, many will check it out at least once. Your job is to make it memorable enough that they’ll return, join and hopefully bring friends.
Hosting events is another fantastic revenue booster. Wendy encourages club owners to have open minds to customer ideas when it comes to events.
“We host the typical leagues and tournaments and also welcome church groups, team bonding events and even wedding! How can I say no to that!”
Being a hands-on owner is one of the best ways to leverage success. When members can put a face with the name, it opens relationships and keeps you at the forefront of what the club needs. You’re able to hear what customers want, build relationships and therefore trust.
Wendy has spent part of nearly every day at Warehouse Pickleball, especially in the beginning. And she credits that in part with the community they have now.
One way Wendy has met most if not all of her members is through the pro shop. Members must walk through the shop to enter the courts and as the sole employee, Wendy interacts with them as they pass through.
“Members help me keep an eye on the club when I’m not around, which is priceless. They treat it like their club, too and with so much respect because they know me and how much I put into the club. That respect and feeling of partnership is invaluable.”
Moving into her second summer, Wendy is feeling more confident about the business and ensuing seasonality. Outdoor play in the summer is a competitor. Instead of fighting for those players to return, she’s taking the opportunity to serve as an “incubator” for new players. The club will offer new player clinics, leagues and more to give players a chance to build their skills and be ready for fall leagues.
A new area she’s exploring is paddle consignment. This is a great way for experienced members to upgrade their paddles and for newer players to move up from entry-level equipment. It also builds interaction, conversation and another reason for players to step into the club.
As Wendy looks back at her first year, she encourages other club owners to stick with it, be flexible and stay true to their community convictions. Building a community by creating a space with the offerings and connections your members are after is a key part to success.
