PICKLE PARLOR HAS OPENED IN THE DISTRICT AT MONROEVILLE MALL, OFFERING THREE PICKLEBALL COURTS AND HIGH-TECH PLAY. | PHOTO COURTESY PICKLE PARLOR

If you’re heading to the Monroeville Mall to pick up a book at Barnes & Noble or a gift at Macy’s, you can now add a quick game of pickleball to your trip.

After a soft launch last week, Pickle Parlor is set to have its grand opening on Friday, Feb. 21 in the 10,000-square-foot space of the former Ulta Beauty store (next to Red Robin and near Barnes & Noble). The facility — soon to operate 24/7 — includes three pickleball courts along with changing rooms and restrooms.

Walmart recently purchased Monroeville Mall for $34 million. Mall redevelopment plans will be led by Cypress Equities, a Dallas-based company. Plans for Pickle Parlor were in the works before the sale to Walmart was finalized.

Pickleball is a low-impact sport that is growing in popularity, especially among older athletes. As communities have added outdoor pickleball courts to parks across southwestern Pennsylvania, more indoor play also is becoming available. For example, The Pickleball Warehouse opened last year in the former Wheel Mill indoor bike park facility in Homewood. It offers 19 indoor courts designed for outdoor play (Outdoor balls are usually larger and heavier to travel farther in windy conditions but bounce slightly slower.)

At Pickle Parlor, open-play events, tournaments and classes are only a few of the activities planned, says co-founder Bryan Kiger, a local entrepreneur. “In the near future we will be adding pop-up coffee shops, pop-up brewery nights, some retail as well as autonomous refreshments.”

Although they’re not required to access the courts, two membership options are available for frequent patrons. The Basic Membership is $65 monthly or $699 annually. Members receive five open plays per month, 10%-20% court discounts, access to member-only events and are able to book courts 10 days in advance. There is also an elite membership, the Founders Club, which is limited to 50 members.

A GROUP OF PLAYERS ALREADY HAS GOTTEN STARTED THIS WEEK AT PICKLE PARLOR AT THE MONROEVILLE MALL. | PHOTO COURTESY PICKLE PARLOR

Non-members can book courts up to six days in advance. Court rentals are $40 per hour during peak times and $30 during off-peak hours. Overnight court time will become available in March for $15 per hour. Courts can be reserved on the website or the Pickle Parlor app, which is required to access the facility.

Pickle Parlor also is high tech. Players can keep score with bluetooth wearable wristbands. One member of each team wears the wristband and presses the button once to give the team a point and twice to take a point away.

“If you get into an argument as to whether the ball was in or out or simply don’t know if the ball was in or out, you can get an instant replay,” says Kiger. If you hold down the button, an instant replay of the last 30 seconds of the game will be displayed on the big screen.

The Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating system will also be available on the app, which offers a fair evaluation of players, regardless of age, gender or location.

Players’ rating scores will determine the organization of open-play events.

“It’s a way of classifying beginners versus more experienced, competitive players,” Kiger says.