Toledo Pickle Co. on Water St. offers more than pickleball courts
TOLEDO – A field house worth of socializing space opened up earlier this year at 1030 Water St., the new location of Toledo Pickle Co.
“I never wanted to pay to play pickleball,” said Kalen DeCant, of Sylvania, as she played a game of pickleball with her husband and two friends. “And we came to the opening and said, ‘Damnit, this place is nice.’”
In the middle of a live renovation of the waterfront spearheaded by Metroparks Toledo’s riverwalk project, an old building owned by the Metroparks has been given new life by tenants who wanted an indoor pickleball location in Toledo.
“The idea was to be a family entertainment center with a heavy lean on pickleball,” said Kimberly Sheldon, the director of marketing, membership and events for Toledo Pickle Co.
By “heavy lean on pickleball,” Sheldon means the old warehouse building, now completely renovated, is home to 10 indoor pickleball courts and two outdoor pickleball courts.
Before the business opened, the building “stored salt trucks and snowplows,” Sheldon said.
But the other half of the large hanger-like building has been turned into a restaurant, bar, and arcade.
What won DeCant over to Toledo Pickle Co. was the air conditioning, the good food, the well-maintained courts and the friendly staff.
Ping pong, shuffleboard and a small rock climbing wall make up some of the free group activities for those who don’t want to pay the $20 hourly (per person) charge for a court.
DeCant and her friends all have platinum memberships because they stop by every day. Garyck Hahn of Oregon, Ohio was in a match with DeCant. He said their group used to bounce around to different areas for pickleball, but “this is home now.”
The other activities are arranged around the championship pickleball court, where people sitting in the mezzanine of Toledo Pickle can watch finalists compete.
“You can come for the pickleball, or you can come for the party,” Sheldon said, emphasizing the multiple uses of the large spacious area on the waterfront decorated with multiple murals by local artist Dean Davis.
On tap are beers from local brewers like Earnest Brew Works, Maumee Bay Brewing, Inside the Five Brewing Company and Juniper Brewing that complement a variety of Midwestern entrees.
Live music is scheduled every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 6 – 9 p.m., with trivia on Mondays and karaoke on Thursdays.
With this variety of activities, Toledo Pickle hopes to become a communal location for downtown Toledo, while still holding space for diehard pickleball players.
“I only know the pickleball side,” said Brian Macionsky, Toledo Pickle Co. athletic director. “I started reading about Toledo Pickle, and thought, ‘Man, I need to be involved.’”
A pickleball fanatic since retirement, Macionsky meets players where they are, and offers training ranging from beginner clinics and one-on-ones to playing against a pro.
“Whether they’re seasoned players or brand new to pickleball, we’re trying to find something that fits everybody,” he said. “You could always play outdoors when the weather is nice; the problem was when the weather wasn’t nice.
“Once you get the bug to play pickleball, it doesn’t go away…You can play on a gym floor, you can play in a church, you can do other things. It’s not like playing at Toledo pickle,” he said.
And Sheldon mentioned the courts were made with Pro-Cushion, a material that is better on joints than other courts.
“This is state-of-the-art, the best courts, and we have now a lot of the best games right in this facility,” Macionsky said.
Toledo Pickle Co. is open 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 8 a.m.-9 p.m. on Sunday. The restaurant is open every day from 11 a.m. until the facility closes.
Photos & video by Stephen Zenner
