Former Conn’s building in NE Heights gearing up for major pickleball expansion

A former furniture space once filled with recliners and appliances will bounce back as a pickleball haven full of premier courts.

The pickleball makeover will take place at the former Conn’s store at 45 Hotel Circle NE in the Northeast Heights. Premier Pickleball LLC signed a 10-year lease to bring The Picklr, a pickleball club, to the space, the property owner told the Journal on Friday. The club, situated near Best Buy, will be New Mexico’s and Albuquerque’s first The Picklr, providing roughly 54,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor pickleball space.

The Picklr is one of the world’s largest pickleball franchises, with 44 locations currently open across the United States. The Utah-based company, established in 2021, expects to grow to 80 clubs by the end of the year, a spokesperson for The Picklr told the Journal. The spokesperson added that the company has sold more than 500 franchises globally, which are set to open over the next five years.

The Northeast Heights club will feature 12 indoor courts, one indoor skinny court, three outdoor courts, a ball machine, a pro shop, a private event area, and lockers and showers, according to Premier Pickleball Chief Operating Officer Marty Garcia.

The club will also offer league play, drop-in play, tournaments, court reservations and memberships.

Garcia said Premier Pickleball, established locally this year in conjunction with the franchise purchase, will start demolition and construction in June. The project will include work inside the almost 40,000-square-foot interior and building outdoor courts on an additional 14,000 square feet outside the building. However, Garcia said the outdoor courts will come after the initial opening.

Garcia said he expects work on The Picklr to finish by October with the goal of opening in November. The estimated cost of the project is roughly $60 per square foot, he added.

“We’re all really excited about it,” said Art Gardenswartz, the property’s owner, in an interview. Gardenswartz, a New Mexico native, owns Gardenswartz Realty, whose portfolio includes shopping centers and commercial properties across Albuquerque, Roswell and California.

Gardenswartz said conversations between him and the franchisee began in March, following the closure of Conn’s in October. Premier Pickleball’s owners signed the 10-year lease in mid-May.

“This just keeps people active, and it’s promoting the health of the community,” Gardenswartz said. He said the club will bring a much-needed upgrade to the area, which is situated near Lomas and Eubank NE.

Premier Pickleball plans to open another club on the West Side and could potentially open locations in Santa Fe and Las Cruces, Garcia said.

“It’s a rising and evolving sport,” Garcia said. “My gym has taken my outdoor basketball court and painted pickleball lines on it. This is all fascinating to me from a business standpoint, and it makes me know that we’ve made a great choice.”