New indoor pickleball facility in Ocala replacing old Conn’s HomePlus

The world’s largest indoor pickleball company is working on a new space in southwest Ocala, switching its focus from another site in the northwest part of the city that it previously targeted for development.

Pickleball Kingdom is currently working on a new space at 2800 SW 24th Avenue in Ocala. The business is replacing the old Conn’s HomePlus that closed its Ocala location last year.

In February, Pickleball Kingdom first announced that it was planning to move into a 37,000-square-foot space at 4937 NW Blitchton Road, within the Quail Meadows Commons plaza.

In May, owner Tim Campbell announced that the business would be moving to the former Conn’s instead.

The new facility in Ocala will provide year-round play through 13 professional-grade, indoor courts with outdoor court surfaces.

“The opportunity to bring a Pickleball Kingdom to Ocala is exciting for so many reasons. We have worked hard to build others’ businesses in our careers and are now looking forward to combining our passions for fitness and community to build our own,” said Campbell in a press release issued by the company in February.

Campbell previously oversaw the growth of a multi-million-dollar revenue stream with national grocers and launched an agritourism venture with a storefront. The business owner has been a member of the Board of Directors for Bread of Life in Putnam County, has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, and has been a volunteer student pastor at Dunns Creek Baptist Church.

Pickleball Kingdom has already inked franchise agreements for the construction of over 350 sites across the country. Many of those projects are underway and in various stages of development.

In the state of Florida, there are plans for over a dozen new locations. Currently, a Pickleball Kingdom is in operation in Pinellas Park and another is coming soon to Port Richey.

Pickleball continues to see a steady rise in popularity among Ocala residents, with multiple local courts having opened recently.

In fact, earlier this week, Sean and Keeley Plunkett opened a new pickleball facility (The Dink Tank) at 1891 SW 12th Avenue in Ocala. Ocala-News.com first reported about that facility in April.

Have you played pickleball? Will you visit any of the new businesses serving Ocala? Share your comments below, or if you have more to say, write a letter to the editor.