Central California’s first Dill Dinkers indoor pickleball center has sold more than 50 memberships even though it is not expected to open until late summer, according to business owners.
The facility at 700 S. Bridge St. in Visalia, will have 11 regular pickleball courts and one singles court. There will be a pro shop, a cafe, vending machines with healthy options, two rentable private event spaces (one with a 100-inch television) and a warming-up area.
A work crew was installing the cushioned flooring as owners Bill and Georgia Revilla took time to talk about the status of the center, as well as why two immigrants – a respiratory therapist with a background in financial services, and a dentist – would decide to open the first indoor pickleball center in Visalia.
“We’re born and raised in the Philippines, moved to Canada, and stayed there for six years when I needed to know where I could get recertified as a dentist,” Georgia said. “I started taking the board exams at University of Toronto, and at the same time, I took them in California. I passed California’s first.
“After six years, I looked at Bill and said, ‘I guess we’re moving again,’” she said.
Georgia described her family as first generation immigrants with no credit history.
“We didn’t even know what credit history meant,” she said. “We only had $50 in our pockets when we arrived (in the Central Valley) in 2006. We slept on the floor, bought clothes from the thrift shop, and I said, ‘We’ll survive, we’ll make it.’ When I started working, I guess the rest is history.”
Meanwhile, Bill had worked for multinational banks in the Philippines but discovered that there were no multinational banks in Canada. He decided to go back to school and become a respiratory therapist.
The couple eventually discovered pickleball and recognized the sport as being something special.
“It brings the community together,” Georgia said. “I asked, ‘How come there are no indoor pickleball facilities?’ So, three years in the planning, we discovered why. It’s a big project and you don’t know what you don’t know.”
Georgia described preparing for the center’s opening as “excitement mixed with fear.”
“Some days we look at each other and we’re thinking, ‘What are we doing, Bill?’” she said. “We wanted a business where we could employ our children, and a place where the community can come together. It’s been a lifetime of adventure, and this is just another adventure.”
“Life has been good, and America has been good,” Bill said.
Late summer opening
Bill wanted to make it clear that the center would not open in July or early August as reported by another news source.
“It’s still late summer,” he said about the opening. “The reason for that is on our own build, we’re on track, but we’re still waiting on the city to give us a firm date. The city still has to do an inspection to see if we’re up to code. I’m hoping that there won’t be any new items that we need to fix.”
Bill also expects the landlord to have the parking lot finished at about the same time.
The center started offering memberships on July 1. Single memberships for one year are $425, $799 for couples, and $1,199 for families of up to five, two parents and up to three children (up to age 18) in the same household.
In addition to a discounted rental rate, the first 50 people who bought memberships received $150 in court credits. After those sold out, the next 50 memberships are receiving $100 in court credits, and next 50 memberships after that will receive $50 in court credits.
“We wanted to reward those that support us, so we made it ‘lifetime,’” Georgia said, explaining that a member’s court credits renew for as long as the membership is renewed.
“You don’t need to be a member to play,” Bill said. “You can be just a visitor, but what membership does is it unlocks discounted pricing.”
The Revillas are looking for a few businesses to partner with them, while also promoting advertising opportunities in the center.
“Although we’re set up for a cafe, we’re still looking for partners who will run that for us, because we’re not in the restaurant business,” Bill said.
“We’re also talking with at least three organizations who are interested in helping us develop a wellness center or stretch zone,” he said. “If none of those work out, we are going to put some equipment there for stretching and warm-up, but right now, that’s open to a community partnership.”
For more information about the new Dill Dinkers in Visalia, visit its website.
Note to readers: If you appreciate the work we do here at the Visalia Times Delta, please consider subscribing yourself or giving the gift of a subscription to someone you know.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Pickleball fans in Visalia get a new indoor home
Reporting by Steve Pastis, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Steve Pastis, Visalia Times-Delta | USA TODAY Network
