Georgia-based pickleball franchise Ace Pickleball is coming to the Wisconsin market with a location in Brookfield at 2205 N. Calhoun Road in the Ruby Isle shopping center.
The pickleball franchise will occupy a roughly 45,000-square-foot space, formerly occupied by a Pick n’ Save grocery store that closed in 2022. Atlanta, Georgia-based Embarq Group LLC is franchising the Brookfield location and plans to open several more throughout southeastern Wisconsin in the coming years, according to Mohammed Chaudhry, principal at Embarq.
The decision to franchise in Brookfield stemmed from a lack of suitable real estate in Atlanta, where Embarq was originally looking, and a local demand for Ace’s “unique offering.” Ace will operate under a membership-only, open-play model meaning the location will be accessible to members only and games will be played similarly to the way that pick-up basketball games are played, Chaudhry said.
“(Ace) has a refined business model,” he said.
The club will not offer food and beverage services and will not be an entertainment venue, he added. The club will feature 17 courts, locker rooms, a viewing deck, a pro shop and a mezzanine level for parties.
Demolition of the space at Ruby Isle will be completed by the end of this week and construction will begin within the next two weeks. Embarq plans to have the space ready for an August opening.
Chaudhry said he is not concerned about oversaturation in the southeastern Wisconsin pickleball market as the “experience at Ace will be different from (its) competitors.”
Ace has over 20 locations open or planned across various states including Georgia, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Nebraska, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Arizona among others, according to its website.
