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Update: The Picklr announced Oct. 28 that it is aiming for a winter opening in Manahawkin and that interested players can purchase “Founder Memberships” beginning noon Oct. 30. Click here for more information.

The original story, published Aug. 14, continues below.

A former Bed Bath & Beyond in Ocean County will soon transform into a pickleball center. 

Utah-headquartered indoor pickleball franchise The Picklr will open a facility in the Kohl’s Plaza Shopping Center in Manahawkin, the company announced Aug. 8. 

Franchisee Arete Sports Group signed a lease for the 22,500-square-foot club at 205 Route 72 W, marking The Picklr’s official expansion into the New Jersey/New York market. 

The Picklr Manahawkin-LBI (Long Beach Island) is the first of more than 15 clubs ASG plans to open within the next year in its territory, which includes parts of the Garden State and the Greater New York City area, including Long Island, Brooklyn, Queens and Rockland County. 

According to the club’s website, The Picklr Manahawkin-LBI will open in late 2024. 

Some features of the new facility include: 

• Seven professional-quality courts 
• Sound-reduction baffle matrix systems 
• Low-glare lighting 
• A full pro shop 
• Café 
• Lounge 
• Locker rooms 

Membership to the club includes unlimited open play, league play and tournaments, as well as four clinics and four guest passes per month and access to all Picklr clubs nationwide. 

“While Manahawkin, Long Beach Island and its surroundings are renowned as prime summer destinations, there’s a very strong local pickleball community here all year long in dire need of a high-quality indoor venue, so the demand is high,” Tom Neale, ASG founder and Surf City resident, said in a statement. 

Join the club 

The Picklr is the latest franchise to offer fans of the nation’s fastest-growing sport a place to play.

PickleRage will open a new location in Moorestown by the end of the fourth quarter. Pickleball Kingdom will roll out 20 locations starting in Hamilton. Additionally, the largest pickleball facility in the Northeast is set for Central Jersey, while a state-of-the-art club with a juice bar made its debut in South Jersey in October 2023.

The Picklr Manahawkin-LBI will be located in the Kohl’s Plaza Shopping Center in Manahawkin: