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<\/p>\nIt\u2019s been almost two weeks since St. Pete Athletic opened its doors. The 50,000-square-foot \u201cpaddle and social club\u201d is inside The Factory, in the Warehouse Arts District.<\/p>\n
Although there are eight (indoor, air-conditioned) pickleball courts, with six more to come, club owners insist that the sport \u2013 the fastest-growing physical activity in the country \u2013 is only part of the appeal they\u2019ve carefully woven into St. Pete Athletic (or SPA, for short).<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone can come in here and find something they enjoy,\u201d said partner Nathan Stonecipher, the co-founder of Green Bench Brewing. \u201cThey don\u2019t have to be avid pickleball players.\u201d<\/p>\n
SPA had 800 paid members before the paint was dry, according to the facility\u2019s Operating Manager, entrepreneur Reuben Pressman. \u201cAnd half our members don\u2019t play. They\u2019ve signed up to be part of the club and the community.\u201d There are several hundred, he said, on the waiting list.<\/p>\n
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The main bar.<\/p>\n
Pressman likes to think of SPA as \u201cmore of an urban country club,\u201d with community-building top of mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cPickleball,\u201d he said, \u201cis a very social sport, because you\u2019re closer on a court; people sitting courtside are right there, so you can talk more easily than in something like tennis, where you\u2019re further apart.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cavernous club is one of the largest of its kind in Florida. Along with the current eight pickleball courts (six more will debut in January), there\u2019s table tennis, a restaurant, three bars and a members-only area that includes a fitness center, saunas and locker rooms (with showers), a co-working space (with podcast studio), conference room, a members-only lounge (soon to include an outdoor garden for dining), a pro shop, pro lessons and more.<\/p>\n
There are 30 flat screen televisions throughout; each pickleball court and table tennis table has its own TV, which keeps and displays the score. There\u2019s an instant-replay option, too, in the event of a disputed call.<\/p>\n
January will also bring a cold plunge, two-hour childcare for busy parents who want to get in a quick workout, and two padel courts (padel is a puree of tennis and squash). Yoga and Pilates classes are on the short list.<\/p>\n
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Main pickleball courts.<\/p>\n
Ninety percent of the place (including the restaurant and bars) is open to non-members. \u201cIt\u2019s what we like to call approachable luxury,\u201d said Pressman.<\/p>\n
The courts have bright, indirect lighting to mimic the morning or afternoon sun. Sound-wise, the acoustics have been fine-tuned to diminish, in the nearby restaurant and lounge, the echoes of plastic balls being slapped around.<\/p>\n
Members\u2019 perks include, among others, unlimited open play and members-only courts, preferred court reservation pricing and early court reservation booking.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of regulars already, and every day we\u2019re getting new people that are members coming in to experience it for the first time,\u201d explained Pressman. \u201cI think they\u2019re coming in when it\u2019s convenient for them, getting acquainted and into the flow.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first two weeks, he added, have been \u201cpretty seamless. We\u2019re perfectionists, so we\u2019re constantly looking at micro-improvements, and tweaks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stonecipher agreed. \u201cFor us, we\u2019re so deep in the weeds, I think it\u2019s been hard for us to step back and really appreciate what we\u2019ve built so far,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the look on people\u2019s faces when they first walk in here \u2013 I think they\u2019re genuinely surprised by the level of detail, the flow, the buildout itself, the courts \u2026 it\u2019s really exciting to see them experience it for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Reuben Pressman, left, and Nathan Stonecipher. They\u2019re standing in front of a commissioned Vitale Bros. painting, in the style of Florida\u2019s Highwaymen. Pickleball paddles hand-painted by 30 local artists are displayed (and are for sale) in the dining area.<\/p>\n
It was Pressman\u2019s lightbulb idea four years ago, along with Graham D\u2019Amico, co-owner of Major League Pickleball\u2019s Florida Smash. \u201cGraham and I met playing pickleball; it was before the sport had really taken off,\u201d Pressman said. \u201cWe could see the progress of it \u2013 it was starting to get some interest \u2013 and we thought \u2018We could really use some more courts.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cA couple of years later, I had sold my last company. And the sport had just blown up. I actually went back to Graham and said \u2018Hey, there\u2019s an opportunity here, more than just \u2018we need more courts\u2019 but something to build around the social, the accessible and the community aspect of what pickleball is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although ARK Invest founder Cathie Wood and Trevor Burgess, CEO of Neptune Flood, are acknowledged investors in SPA, its operators are keeping the total cost of the facility close to the vest.<\/p>\n
Jared Sabatini, founder of Intermezzo Coffee & Cocktails, was next to join the brain trust and plan the menu. Brewmaster Stonecipher wasn\u2019t far behind.<\/p>\n
All four contributed to the design of the space.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019ve lived in St. Petersburg for this long a time,\u201d Stonecipher said, \u201cyou develop this network of people that you\u2019d like to do a project with, or work with. So knowing who Reuben, Graham and Jared were, we (Green Bench ownership) wanted to be a part of something they were doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, as we watch this city march west and branch out in other directions as well from downtown, we\u2019ve always loved the Warehouse Arts District and the potential here. A lot of businesses have already come up and helped lift the area.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Sculptor Mark Aeling created this 12\u00d712 foot entry gate that, once city permitting is complete, will connect St. Pete Athletic directly to the Pinellas Trail.<\/p>\n
An avid bicyclist, Stonecipher was encouraged by how the City of Dunedin had directly connected the Pinellas Trail with local hospitality outlets.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Factory\u2019s access to the Pinellas Trail, for us, was so exciting. Because we\u2019d always talked about wanting to serve our beers someplace off the trail. And there\u2019s really not much on the trail, in St. Pete, that fully engages those to come off the tarail and come do something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam Beckett (formerly of the Birchwood) and Tampa\u2019s Andrew Duncan (of Ash) are the SPA restaurant chefs. Sabatini has created sports club and Old Florida-inspired specialty cocktails. Stonecipher crafted an SPA-centric beer.<\/p>\n
The large dining room (between the main bar and the table tennis stations) can be converted into an open community space for events, meetings, seminars and other gatherings. People have inquired about holding their weddings at SPA.<\/p>\n
The city got its first look at SPA Dec. 10 when the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual Good \u2018Burger Awards ceremony there.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s more to come: Next June will bring Major League Pickleball to St. Pete Athletic, co-sponsored by Visit St. Pete-Clearwater. The main pickleball courts can be re-configured, with seating for 3,000 people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019ll be 15,000 people that come over four days to watch the 80 top pros compete,\u201d Pressman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the space isn\u2019t complete yet,\u201d added Stonecipher. \u201cWe have a whole new building that\u2019s not online yet. Some of the detailing isn\u2019t quite finished.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019ll be exciting to see those finishing touches come into play.\u201d<\/p>\n
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