St. Pete Athletic’s owners aiming for ‘approachable luxury’

It’s been almost two weeks since St. Pete Athletic opened its doors. The 50,000-square-foot “paddle and social club” is inside The Factory, in the Warehouse Arts District.

Although there are eight (indoor, air-conditioned) pickleball courts, with six more to come, club owners insist that the sport – the fastest-growing physical activity in the country – is only part of the appeal they’ve carefully woven into St. Pete Athletic (or SPA, for short).

“Anyone can come in here and find something they enjoy,” said partner Nathan Stonecipher, the co-founder of Green Bench Brewing. “They don’t have to be avid pickleball players.”

SPA had 800 paid members before the paint was dry, according to the facility’s Operating Manager, entrepreneur Reuben Pressman. “And half our members don’t play. They’ve signed up to be part of the club and the community.” There are several hundred, he said, on the waiting list.

The main bar.

Pressman likes to think of SPA as “more of an urban country club,” with community-building top of mind.

“Pickleball,” he said, “is a very social sport, because you’re closer on a court; people sitting courtside are right there, so you can talk more easily than in something like tennis, where you’re further apart.”

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’s 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.

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’s an instant-replay option, too, in the event of a disputed call.

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.

Main pickleball courts.

Ninety percent of the place (including the restaurant and bars) is open to non-members. “It’s what we like to call approachable luxury,” said Pressman.

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.

Members’ perks include, among others, unlimited open play and members-only courts, preferred court reservation pricing and early court reservation booking.

“We have a lot of regulars already, and every day we’re getting new people that are members coming in to experience it for the first time,” explained Pressman. “I think they’re coming in when it’s convenient for them, getting acquainted and into the flow.”

The first two weeks, he added, have been “pretty seamless. We’re perfectionists, so we’re constantly looking at micro-improvements, and tweaks.”

Stonecipher agreed. “For us, we’re so deep in the weeds, I think it’s been hard for us to step back and really appreciate what we’ve built so far,” he said.

“But the look on people’s faces when they first walk in here – I think they’re genuinely surprised by the level of detail, the flow, the buildout itself, the courts … it’s really exciting to see them experience it for the first time.”

Reuben Pressman, left, and Nathan Stonecipher. They’re standing in front of a commissioned Vitale Bros. painting, in the style of Florida’s Highwaymen. Pickleball paddles hand-painted by 30 local artists are displayed (and are for sale) in the dining area.

It was Pressman’s lightbulb idea four years ago, along with Graham D’Amico, co-owner of Major League Pickleball’s Florida Smash. “Graham and I met playing pickleball; it was before the sport had really taken off,” Pressman said. “We could see the progress of it – it was starting to get some interest – and we thought ‘We could really use some more courts.’

“A 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 ‘Hey, there’s an opportunity here, more than just ‘we need more courts’ but something to build around the social, the accessible and the community aspect of what pickleball is.”

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.

Jared Sabatini, founder of Intermezzo Coffee & Cocktails, was next to join the brain trust and plan the menu. Brewmaster Stonecipher wasn’t far behind.

All four contributed to the design of the space.

“When you’ve lived in St. Petersburg for this long a time,” Stonecipher said, “you develop this network of people that you’d 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.

“Also, as we watch this city march west and branch out in other directions as well from downtown, we’ve always loved the Warehouse Arts District and the potential here. A lot of businesses have already come up and helped lift the area.”

Sculptor Mark Aeling created this 12×12 foot entry gate that, once city permitting is complete, will connect St. Pete Athletic directly to the Pinellas Trail.

An avid bicyclist, Stonecipher was encouraged by how the City of Dunedin had directly connected the Pinellas Trail with local hospitality outlets.

“The Factory’s access to the Pinellas Trail, for us, was so exciting. Because we’d always talked about wanting to serve our beers someplace off the trail. And there’s really not much on the trail, in St. Pete, that fully engages those to come off the tarail and come do something.”

Adam Beckett (formerly of the Birchwood) and Tampa’s 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.

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.

The city got its first look at SPA Dec. 10 when the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual Good ‘Burger Awards ceremony there.

There’s 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.

“That’ll be 15,000 people that come over four days to watch the 80 top pros compete,” Pressman said.

“And the space isn’t complete yet,” added Stonecipher. “We have a whole new building that’s not online yet. Some of the detailing isn’t quite finished.

“So it’ll be exciting to see those finishing touches come into play.”

St. Pete Athletic website.

Members’ Lounge.

Members’ lockers.

Dining area.

… and a quick game of table tennis.