State College's former Big Lots becomes a nine-court pickleball club

A vacant Big Lots in College Township is being converted into a 27,000-square-foot indoor pickleball club with nine courts, turning 503 Benner Pike into one of the clearest signs yet that the sport is reshaping local retail space. The Picklr State College is expected to open in August 2026 across from Happy Valley Casino, and the scale of the buildout goes far beyond a simple court conversion: the club will also include a pro shop and a private event space.

The State College location will be owned and operated by Steve Smith, a 1999 Penn State graduate and former Nittany Lion football player. Smith is positioning the club as a year-round home base for leagues, tournaments, open play and clinics, giving local players an indoor option built for regular use rather than occasional drop-ins. Once open, the club is expected to operate daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., a schedule that should make it easier for early-morning players, after-work crowds and weekend groups to find court time.

Access is the main story here. Pickleball in State College has relied heavily on multi-use spaces and weather-dependent play, but The Picklr is promising a dedicated indoor setup with structured programming and certified instruction through The Picklr Academy. Membership will also carry access to other Picklr clubs nationwide, which gives the local opening a broader payoff for players who travel or split time between markets. The brand is also offering founder memberships that lock in a lifetime discounted rate for early sign-ups before grand opening, a sign that the company is pushing hard to convert demand into long-term membership before the doors open.

The franchise says it has about 70 locations nationwide and around 500 facilities in development, making State College part of a wider expansion wave rather than an isolated one-off. That growth tracks with the sport’s momentum: the Sports & Fitness Industry Association says 24.3 million Americans played pickleball in 2025. The State College project also carries a more professional edge than many recreational builds, with Just Courts serving as the official court installer for The Picklr as well as the PPA Tour, MLP and UPA.

Benner Pike’s evolution helps explain why the club is landing there. Local officials have described the corridor as a growing commercial strip that is also dealing with traffic and space constraints, and the former big-box site adds to a run of redevelopment along the road. For State College players, the result is straightforward: more courts, more hours and a dedicated indoor option that could materially change year-round access.