Relish Food Hall

Pickleball is Louisville’s new third space

By McKenzie Watson-Fore    »    Photos by Chris Marley

In 1989, the sociologist Ray Oldenburg published “The Great Good Place,” in which he coined the term “third place”: a space outside of home and work that allows for pleasurable, unrushed interactions. Since the June opening of Relish Food Hall // Pickleball, Louisville has gained a robust new third place.

The immense space was formerly the Sam’s Club, which closed in 2010 and sat vacant for fifteen years. Co-owners Jeff and Amy Youngstrom have opened Relish with a vision for bringing people together in a space designed for leisure and community.

At the center of the business is pickleball: a sport that’s booming in popularity and remarkably accessible. When Jeff was introduced to pickleball, he immediately recognized its potential to bring people together. “It was just a perfect fit,” Jeff says. 

Pickleball is quick to learn and notoriously addictive. It has the fast-paced nature of tennis without the high entry barrier and with less physical strain. “It’s easier to access and more sociable,” says David Henderson III, Boulder store manager of paddle sport retailer, Game Set Match. “You’re a lot closer on the court, so you can communicate better, have banter, get to know each other. Even tennis purists appreciate that about pickleball.”

This sociability is integral to the vision for Relish. “We want the community to build friendships on the court and then use the rest of the space for all the other things people want to do,” Jeff says. 

The space has nineteen indoor pickleball courts—the most anywhere in Northern Colorado, second only to Peak Pickleball in Colorado Springs—but the courts are only half the space. The north side of the building is the lounge: a brightly lit, high-ceilinged, living room–like space that weaves around Relish’s coffee shop, seven bespoke food stalls, and the longest bar in Louisville. Past the bar, glass-paneled garage doors open to the patio, which has a small stage for live music, mounted TVs for watching sports, an eight-person foosball table, two outdoor pickleball courts, and extensive space to eat, drink, and hang out. 

Back inside, there’s a protected area where kids can get rowdy with a pile of foam blocks, and a hallway extends toward Relish’s three rentable conference rooms and special event space, located in the former loading dock. “Everyone who walks through here, by the time they get to the back, starts thinking about how they can use the space. It brings out people’s creativity, and they start asking, ‘What can I do here?’” Jeff says. 

In the months since Relish opened, they’ve hosted an impressive slate of community events. The high court count allows Relish to book tournaments, which sets it apart from smaller venues in the area. Relish hosted the initial launch party for Colorado-based pickleball-centric dating app, PickleMatch. On the lounge side, folks can attend movie nights, board game nights, parent-and-preschooler hangouts, and more. Through Relish’s Adaptive Pickleball offerings, folks can play in a wheelchair or partner with someone who does. 

For more information or to book a court, go to visitrelish.com.