Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | December 23, 2024 | Worcester Business Journal 41 Retail L O C A L E X P E R T I S E W I T H A G L O B A L P R E S E N C E GLICKMANKOVAGO.COM 508.753.9100 brokerage@glickmankovago.com BROKERAGE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CONSTRUCTION We are the only full-service commercial real estate firm in Central MA. That means we are the only local firm providing all of the following services: Mass. pickleball, by the numbers Pickleball locations: 389 Pickelball courts: 1,646 State rank for pickleball courts: #18 Central Massachusetts city/town with the most locations and the most courts: Natick, three locations with 15 courts Source: pickleheads.com 0 3M 6M 9M 12M 15M '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 '22 '23 Surabian and Bodden decided the best course of action would be to gut the property, offering a shell space to rent rather than office space. is was the real catalyst in landing the Rt. 12 Pickle deal, said Bodden. While moving into the demoed loca- tion was a cost saver for Minsk, he still had to make modifications. He replaced the sprinkler system for about $80,000 and sealed the floors to prevent water damage for another $50,000. "If you're going to open up a place, especially like a pickleball club, make it a class-A looking facility because people will respect that," he said. Finding a cool place Minsk is paying a premium rent to have Rt. 12 Pickle in the Wachusett Plaza, but the location has the bonus of housing businesses like ree Rivers Nursery School, Brown Rice ai Cui- sine, and Sneaker Island. Co-tenants are a distinctive perk of locations within malls and retail centers since patrons can hit multiple locations in one stop as opposed to having to go out of their way to reach one business. Malls and shopping centers can be especially attractive to business owners looking to establish creative business- es, said Bodden. ey're traditionally located in densely populated areas with ample access and parking while serving all demographics. "at's a really good equation for suc- cess," he said. "ere's definitely value to that [for] people that are looking at retail space for less conventional retail uses." Co-tenancy was a driving factor in Puttshack's decision to open a location at the Natick Mall, said Dave Diamond, president of the Chicago-based indoor minigolf company. Puttshack's Natick location, offer- ing food and beverages with three U.S. pickleball popularity 9-hole mini golf courses, opened its doors on Feb. 10 in the mall's previous 21,000-square-foot American Girl store. Puttshack conducts significant anal- ysis when considering a new venue to open including utilizing subscriptions to capture visit data, such as foot traffic and annual visits, from a location's sur- rounding mall retailers, Diamond said. When considering malls and shop- ping centers, both in rural and more urban areas, Puttshack holds great stock in the surrounding retailers to gather a fairly simple understanding: Is this a good place to hang out? Puttshack wants to ensure nearby shopping, eating, and playing op- portunities reflect the same new and exciting vibe the company aims to offer. Being adjacent to stores that are in vogue, particularly with younger demo- graphics, lends more credibility to the Puttshack brand itself. "ere is a rhythm to and a feel for these shopping centers that we feel is really important for us to be a part of," said Diamond. More opportunities than challenges When moving into its Natick lo- cation, Puttshack had to navigate the facility's split-level layout with the first floor narrower than the second, forcing the company's three-person in-house design team to move the location's main bar up a floor. at move ended up being an opportunity to make for more intimate private events on the first floor, an unexpected yet very welcomed outcome for Diamond. "ere's definitely far more oppor- tunity than there are challenges with leasing these spaces, and that's why we're seeing so many different deals happening," said Bodden. A lot of malls are struggling right now with retailers closing and filing for bankruptcy, said Bodden. While he certainly doesn't foresee the in-person retail market being obliterated by the likes of the Amazon, the market will be constrained. Mall operators and urban devel- oper landlords need to be cognizant of what can be bought online, even from a brick-and-mortar store's own proprietary website, Diamond said. If landlords want to attract and retain tenants, they're going to need to look for options that can't be delivered to a customer's doorstep. Instead of this being limiting, Dia- mond sees it offering exciting possibili- ties for customers and business owners. "Unlike a lot of the so goods and things that you can buy online, you re- ally can't go out to eat and play a game like mini golf by staying home," he said. "So it does create an opportunity for them to entertain new businesses like ours, and I do think we are just scratching the surface." Dave Diamond, pres- ident of Puttshack W Puttshack targets primarily large spaces with the capacity to accommodate its game, food, and beverage operations as well as private event space. The Natick Mall's location offered just that. Source: Statista.com using data from SFIA, Physical Activity Council, and Sports Marketing Surveys USA Estimated number of U.S. pickleball players (age 6+) PHOTO | WBJ FILE

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