Months after it opened to overwhelming demand, Pickles at Forté remains a popular Downtown draw and now offers even more in the space.
Pickles at Forté, the first air conditioned, indoor pickleball and social club in Downtown Honolulu, is located at 1032 Fort Street Mall in the space formerly occupied by Walmart, which had been vacant since the retailer closed that location in early 2023.
It's also part of a larger redevelopment plan in the works by Avalon Group, a Downtown-based full-service real estate development, consulting and sales company that acquired the property in February 2024 for $38.25 million.
Robby Kelley, executive vice president for Avalon Development, told Aloha State Daily on Wednesday that membership is still going strong.
In its first week, Kelley said some 1,700 people came to play, and there was a "massive response" during its first month.
Memberships for Pickles at Forté have since stabilized and there are nearly 400 monthly members right now, Kelley said. Because of the continued demand, Kelley said the developer may soon put a pause on new memberships, "simply because we're pretty at capacity."
"The thinking is pausing new memberships, making sure our existing members are getting their money’s worth and having a good experience until we can get some additional courts built out on the second floor," he said. "At that time, we'll open up membership again."
There are currently six courts on the ground floor.
In addition to pickleball, there are several new offerings there, as well: a sports shop for racket sports, a spot to grab a drink, and a golf simulator.
Kelley told ASD that On Point Sports opened there several months ago. The shop, which has another location near Waipi‘o in Central O‘ahu, specializes in tennis and pickleball.
"They have a huge selection of demo paddles, so any pickleball players who want to come and try out the latest and greatest new paddles, can come demo them and buy them all there," he said. "[It's] a one-stop shop for all your pickleball gear."
Teapresso Bar also opened there earlier this month, but you don't have be play pickleball to partake. Kelley said a recently added service window means the public and non-pickleball players can order right there, from the Fort Street Mall entrance.
The shop offers coffees, teas, smoothies and more, and Kelley said a business offering more "health-conscious drinks" was a "natural fit with a recreation center."
"It's a great location for them, beyond the pickleball, too. Being able to sell to the general public right on Fort Street Mall there is a great location for a coffee and tea shop, even without the pickleball."
A golf simulator has also been up and running for about two months now, according to Kelley.
The simulator is open to members as well as the general public at a cost of $50 per hour for non-members. It features 180 golf courses from around the world.
Why add a golf simulator? Kelley said the developer wanted to test the market and would consider putting in a few more if there's a strong demand for it.
The other driver, he said, is having something to do while people play pickleball, where matches are quicker than those in tennis and which has a more social style of play. An individual might have more downtime between rounds.
"We thought that the golf simulator was a pretty nice thing, to give something for people to do while they might be waiting for their next match," Kelley said. "We also got a pingpong table in there as well."
Kelley said there will likely be additional food options coming to the space, but couldn’t elaborate further at this time.
Kelley, previously told ASD that Pickles at Forté is the first of three phases of redevelopment for the former Walmart property.
The second phase will be the second floor of the property and will encompass another 30,000 square feet or so. Plans call for approximately 10 pickleball courts there as well as a restaurant, full locker rooms and other amenities.
Phase three includes redoing the ground floor, creating small retail and restaurant spaces around the outward facing perimeter, along with five pickleball courts remaining, according to Kelley.
He told ASD on Wednesday the developer is still in the permitting stages and targeting the larger build out of phase two to begin by the end of the year or in the first quarter of 2026.
Because of the strong demand and high use of the existing courts, Kelley said, the developer is looking to quickly build a few more temporary courts on the second floor in the coming months, before the larger build-out gets underway.
Learn more about Pickles at Forté here.
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
