This is a story about the transformational impact of effective retail store design on a small hometown pickleball shop in Southern California. It was about 15 years ago that my wife invited me to participate in a Saturday afternoon pickleball clinic at a local tennis club known as “Bobby Riggs.” I had never heard of pickleball at the time and wasn’t too excited about spending 2 hours with 50 strangers trying to learn a new sport.
In preparation for the clinic, the tennis courts were set up with cheap temporary nets constructed of metal tubing and nylon netting. The club had baskets of yellow wiffle balls and bins of loaner wooden paddles scattered about. The instructor started by teaching us how to “dink,” which I discovered meant hitting short shots that are intended to land in an area close to the net on your opponent’s side, also know the “the kitchen.” The dinking drill was designed to teach finesse, control, patience, and game strategy.
After 3 or 4 shots, my opponent hit the dink a little too high, and I couldn’t resist smashing it. I felt the adrenaline kicking in and began hovering around the kitchen waiting for the next opportunity to capitalize on my opponent’s mistake. After a few neanderthal-like smashes, the instructor called me out and banished me to “Pickleball Purgatory,’ a court at the far end of the tennis complex inhabited by a mix of bad actors like me and uncoordinated beginners wearing stretch leotards and sunhats. I set out on the walk of shame, bypassing all of the other well-mannered, rule-abiding clinic participants. I spent the next hour and a half counting the minutes until clinic would end. That was the last time I played pickleball for the next 10 years.
Fifteen years later I got a call from a guy named Tony. A self-described serial entrepreneur, Tony was a retail veteran with over 30 successful golf shops throughout Latin America to his credit. Tony said he was interested in getting our help to redesign the pro shop at a local tennis and racquet club called Bobby Riggs. Finally, I thought, here is a chance to redeem myself for acting out in such a public way at the clinic 15 years ago, perhaps a chance to end my self-imposed decade of pickleball exile.
I asked Tony the name of his company. “Get2Eleven,” he said. I thought the name was clever. It was meaningful, aspirational, and was easy to remember. You see, in pickleball it is not enough to get to 9 or 10. To win, you have to be the first to 11. If you participate in open play at Bobby Riggs, the only way to stay on the court is to win. Unless you get to 11, you find yourself at risk of loitering or spending your hard-earned money for something you don’t need in the pro shop until it is once again your turn to challenge the winners.
The name provided a good indication that Tony was a skilled marketer capable of building a brand. Until learning about Get2Eleven, my favorite product name was one I discovered in a book called Becoming a Supple Leopard by renown physiotherapist and author Kelly Starrett. One of his products is similar to a foam roller, but it weighs 130 pounds and terrorizes calves, making even the toughest professional athletes wince in pain. The product is called “The X-Wife.” You can’t get much more clever than that.
In addition to a good name, Tony had an even better logo. It could stand alone or be used with full Get2Eleven name.
The Bobby Riggs Pro Shop was a bit non-descript and underwhelming. It featured a large reception desk where players checked in for their courts. There was a plastic bin full of loaner paddles, a few brands of pickleball paddles hanging awkwardly on the wall, and some random apparel and accessory items adorning generic racks placed throughout the shop. The most interesting item in the shop was the Wimbledon Trophy won by Bobby Riggs in 1939 and some old photographs documenting his career, including the famous 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” challenge match which he lost to then women’s champion Billie Jean King. The photos below provide a glimpse of the store décor that greeted club patrons for decades.
Our design team began its work to envision what the retail store layout could become. However, the team’s creativity was constrained by a very tight budget. Our design strategy was to put the focus on one or two key signature pieces like the cash wrap that would help to project a premium image while also helping to build the Get2Eleven brand. We created an attractive and durable cash wrap with a backlit logo as the centerpiece and a solid surface countertop. We relocated the cash wrap to the back of the shop so patrons would have to walk through the shop and take it all in, thereby extending shop dwell time.
Knowing that the money is in the paddles, we worked with Tony to create a feature merchandising wall to showcase many different brands of paddles. The wall worked well with the innovative try-and-buy-at-a-discount program that Tony implemented. We created a wooden pickleball bin and a comfortable cushioned bench to make it easy for shoppers to try on shoes, which were a new addition to the shop’s product mix.
Finally, we utilized some of our affordable free-standing stock fixtures as well as our stock outrigger wall system to merchandise apparel and accessory items. We added custom signage throughout the store to reinforce the variety of brands available for shoppers to consider. The additional renders below provide a good idea of our retail store layout design intent for the store.
After completing our design work, we began the fabrication process in our San Diego-based production facility. With a combination of custom fabricated fixtures and stock fixtures, we were able to meet the budget expectations for the project.
Our installation team finished the job, and the store opened to great anticipation and enthusiasm. A few pictures below show the remodeled shop.
The new retail store layout design, coupled with Tony’s brilliant marketing strategy, has resulted in a 6-fold increase in shop sales. I am still not a big fan of drinking. I may reconsider it in my 80’s. Until then, I live for the smashes. I am grateful to Tony for a shot at redemption. It was a long timeout.