Opening nears for Mankato's Taj Mahal of pickleball

Sep. 4—The game might be America's fastest-growing sport, but the creation of a Taj Mahal of pickleball in Mankato has been a sometimes-plodding process for Mitchell and Sidney Elofson.

As thrilled as the Elofsons are about next Sunday's debut of their indoor pickleball complex, they're ready to be done with the whole construction thing.

"I won't be building a new building for a while," Sidney said.

Any future thoughts of home ownership might focus exclusively on existing structures.

"We'll see if we ever build a house," Mitch agreed.

And when the Elofsons get those predictable questions from friends and relatives about the expected next step for a married couple as they reach their late 20s ... .

"I'm like, 'We just had a child. And it's called The Picklebarn. And it's very time-consuming,'" Sidney said.

After 30 months of labor, the young parents of a bouncing 37,000-square-foot, eight-court pickleball mecca are putting the final touches on The Picklebarn, located on North Victory Drive on Mankato's northeast side. The Mankato Area Pickleball Association will be bringing its members to the facility for an informal inauguration on Sept. 11 to "test the waters," Mitchell said.

On Thursday, the Elofsons gave The Free Press a sneak peek while recounting their journey from Gustavus Adolphus College and Minnesota State University, where they were tennis players and students of athletic training and exercise science, to a plunge into entrepreneurship.

Planned for Pickleball

Despite the stresses, they appeared more excited than exhausted. They seem to still like each other. And they are clearly proud of what they've created — a brand new facility designed specifically for the sport.

Pickleball — which looks like a smaller version of tennis but uses wooden paddles and has elements of ping pong and badminton — has become so popular that games are being played across America on tennis courts, in gymnasiums, at YMCAs and in converted buildings. But constructing an indoor pickleball complex designed for the sport is fairly unusual — unique enough to have gotten the Elofsons and their Picklebarn featured in national pickleball publications.

"I do think that definitely differentiates us a bit from other places," Mitchell said.

The floors, with nearly a half-dozen layers of tennis-court-style cushioning below the final playing surface, will be easy on the knees.

"It should feel like you're playing on a premier surface," Mitchell said.

The courts are oriented north-south with windows situated to ensure players can never use the "lost the ball in the sun" excuse. The overhead fixtures are configured to provide indirect lighting to the courts.

There will be extra space around each court to give players room to move and lunge without bumping into things.

They aim to have a bit of a country-club vibe to the place even while emphasizing that it will be targeted at the general public. Being a member will bring perks and discounts, but any player — or any member of the public looking to learn to play — will be welcome.

There's a fitness room and locker rooms. A conference room will be used for, among other things, corporate team-building and leadership retreats that incorporate pickleball.

And there's a large mezzanine overlooking the courts.

Along with spots along the balcony to watch pickleballers in action, the mezzanine will include a lounge with a ping pong table or two, a fireplace, a sofa and a kitchen area that initially will offer just coffee and 3.2 beer and a few other items. Food trucks will be available outside for larger events.

"We don't want it to be a crazy atmosphere anyway, so we're fine with the light stuff," Mitchell said of the beer offerings.

They don't have a background in cooking or restaurant work, so they're holding off on a larger menu for now.

But they're hoping the lounge will be a casually fun place for people to hang out, including college students looking to play some pickleball and ping pong and have a beverage.

Particulars important

The Elofsons are keeping a close eye on the details, acknowledging that their contractor might possibly find them occasionally annoying. The little things matter to them — like adding decorative outdoor-style roofs in the interior and farm-style fencing between the eight courts. In each instance, the design elements aim to put the "barn" into The Picklebarn.

The finishes are becoming a family affair for the Elofsons, who grew up in St. Peter. With help from parents, siblings and others, they laid the floor in the lounge, created signs, painted the locker room ceilings ... .

"Me and my dad are going to build the front desk," Sidney added.

Family members with experience in business were there from the beginning, critiquing the couple's business plan when — on hiatus from their jobs at the Rochester Athletic Club during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic — they started to seriously explore their dream of owning a club of their own.

After about 18 months, they had a site, architectural plans and a contractor — breaking ground last October. The current economy makes for challenging times for any builder, more so for a couple new to the experience. Prices have been shooting upward. Supply chains have been unreliable. A labor shortage has made it difficult to get work done at times.

"We're on the home stretch here," Mitchell said. "We're just looking to get the finishes done without losing our minds."

Thursday and Friday was for cleaning, running through the punch list, getting another of the layers of court-cushioning material laid and dried.

Furniture was slated to be moved in over the weekend. Mitchell's sister, aided by Sidney, was set to paint the big Picklebarn sign that will be just inside the main entrance. Grass seeding is scheduled for later in the week.

Open for business

The more than 200 members of the Mankato Area Pickleball Association will be invited to play there next Sunday. Some finishing work will continue after that event, but The Picklebarn's soft opening will continue throughout September, including drop-in times for people looking for pick-up games and reservations available for the general public. Fans of the sport can watch the website, www.picklebarnmn.com, for updates and for when the reservation software is up and running.

A large fundraising tournament for the Ronald McDonald House is slated for Oct. 8, followed by one for Partners for Housing. A formal grand opening celebration will come in late fall, possibly November.

So for the Elofsons, there is no respite scheduled between the anxiety of the construction phase and the hard work of operating the facility, marketing it to players and would-be players of all ages, offering lessons and bidding for tournaments.

With a media member in the building, they demonstrated their multi-tasking skills, effortlessly switching between roles of tour guide and marketer.

"We might have college night every week or two, discounted beverages," Mitchell said.

"We'll do leagues for college-age players," Sidney added. "... I think (the facility) will be for all ages, which kind of reflects what pickleball is."

"Obviously it's exploding in popularity now, but it's also trending downward in age," Mitchell said. "You can play regardless of athletic ability and background. Not many other sports are like that."

And they'll be offering lessons for new players. Both are certified to teach the sport.

"We're going to do the youth tennis stuff, too," Sidney said. "For 10 and under, it's a pretty similar court size."

The couple emphasizes that The Picklebarn will be regularly available to the general public, whether it's reserving a court or playing against other random players during drop-in times.

Hourly rates will range from $3 to $10 per hour depending on the time of day. Annual memberships will be around $420, and monthly options will also be available for snowbirds or others who aren't looking to play throughout the entire year.

Ongoing ambitions

On the north side of the building, there's evidence that the couple hasn't stopped dreaming. A large back door, along with huge windows in the lounge, face additional land currently planted in soybeans. The goal is to someday add a pair of outdoor clay tennis courts, maybe some outdoor pickleball courts.

"We'll see down the road if we can make that happen, but that would be a dream for us," Mitchell said.

They also have lofty ambitions in the short term, including working with Visit Mankato to put in a bid for a national tournament featuring professional players. They attended a pro tournament in Lakeville and said the atmosphere was incredible.

Mitchell is confident The Picklebarn will be of a quality to allow for a competitive bid: "I just think it would be a really fun and unique thing."

The Elofsons use similar words to describe the creation of The Picklebarn, along with a few others.

"It's been pretty crazy," Sidney said.

Before the craziness of the next phase begins next Sunday, Mitchell has a tentative date planned with his business partner.

On Saturday night, or maybe the wee hours of Sunday morning, after they've done everything they can in preparation for opening the doors, he wants them to pick up their paddles and step onto one of the courts "and try to sneak in the first hit."