Indoor pickleball courts, juice bar set to open in South Jersey

Kimberly Redmond//January 26, 2023

Ventnor-based Pickle Juice LLC plans to open two state-of-the-art indoor pickleball courts in South Jersey by summer 2023.

Located at 5000-5100 Wellington Ave. in Ventnor Heights and 1001 S. Black Horse Pike in Blackwood, the facilities will be the first of more than 15 sites expected to open over the next three to five years, according to Pickle Juice founder and co-owner Lisa Brody.

After signing leases with MLG Realty for the properties, Pickle Juice has begun renovating the spaces to make way for playing courts, as well as juice bars and pro shops.

According to Pickle Juice, the 17,316-square-foot facility in Ventnor Heights will have five courts, while the 13,600-square-foot location in Blackwood will have four courts.

Each location will also offer open play, membership packages, clinics, tournaments and lessons.

Considered one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong and can be played either indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized or modified tennis court.

Players, either singles or doubles, simply need a paddle and a plastic ball with holes to play at any skill level.

After seeing increased interest in the sport, Brody, an avid pickleball player for the past five years, wanted to launch a venture that supported her passion.

“Almost every day … I’d say to my husband ‘I’m going to play pickle and grab a juice,’” the New Jersey native recalled. “And then I thought, that’s a great name and concept to open up some courts with a juice bar.”

“Our vision was to make people feel welcome when they walk in,” she said. “The unique design elements of the space will bring the feeling of the outdoors in and the refreshing juice bar will give players the opportunity to energize while they sit and stay or grab and go.”

Visit www.picklejuiceusa.com for more information.