The Pickleball Factory and Parc Motor Club to open this summer

Saturday, April 27, 2024 ~ Updated 1:08 AM

Jeff Brune, spokesperson for developer Thorngate Holdings.

The warehouse and former Thorngate factory located at 1507 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, has been mostly vacant for over a decade. Now, the 63,000 square foot facility is being given a new life.

The Pickleball Factory and Parc Motor Club will open in the space this summer, providing new opportunities and experiences for the region, while creating an anchor destination on Independence Street.

“It’s going to be something that everyone in the community is proud of,” said Jeff Brune, spokesperson for developer Thorngate Holdings.

The Pickleball Factory

Current options for quality climate-controlled pickleball play in Southeast Missouri are limited. Outdoor pickleball court options abound in the region, but the humidity, wind, snow, rain, cold and heat impact the number of days pickleball enthusiasts can play in these spaces.

“If you think about how many perfect days there are in the Southeast Missouri-Southern Illinois-Western Kentucky region to play pickleball, it’s very limited,” Brune said. “The Pickleball Factory will be climate controlled all the time, 70 degrees, no wind, perfect light, no humidity, no rain, no snow, perfect courts, it’s pickleball nirvana.”

The Pickleball Factory will include 14 fenced-in pickleball only courts, each equipped with camera systems. Players can access the footage in real-time on their phones when disagreements arise whether the ball was in or out. Players can also review footage after the game, artificial intelligence will segment it out to see all their serves, unforced errors or any technique the players may want to focus on.

Brune says they hired a pickleball consultant to ensure the smoothest, highest quality and affordable experience for players. The courts are SportsMaster brand cushioned courts, the official approved courts of USA Pickleball, which Brune says is much safer and easier on the joints than traditional concrete floors without impacting the performance of the pickleball.

Fencing between the courts will also prevent stray balls from disrupting other games. Dark-colored padding on the walls will make it easier to locate the ball.

Everything from nets to flooring to color schemes were intentional and will make The Pickleball Factory the “most technologically advanced” pickleball courts within a 200-mile radius, Brune says.

Brune says The Pickleball Factory will be more than a place to play, it will be a lifestyle brand. Merchandise, paddles and pickleball gear will be available in their on-site pro-shop for purchase. A mezzanine will overlook the courts, providing an option for players to hang out after a game and enjoy shareable meals and drinks from the restaurant and bar.

“Everyone will feel comfortable coming here,” Brune said. “We want the seasoned pickleball veteran who plays four or five times a week to come here and feel comfortable and know that they’re going to get top quality courts, nets, lighting and experience at an affordable price. But we also want the person that’s never played before, the person that literally doesn’t have a paddle, doesn’t know the rules, we want them to feel comfortable coming in and starting on their pickleball journey.”

The Pickleball Factory plans to host competitive tournaments, fundraising tournaments, clinics, lessons, league play and open play, among other fun events catered to all ages and experience levels. Anyone can rent courts to play, but there will be several monthly and annual membership options available.

Parc Motor Club

On the other side of the facility, Parc Motor Club will offer state-of-the-art, climate-controlled storage for automobiles. From classic or luxury vehicles to Jeeps and any other extra vehicles, the Parc Motor Club will ease the burden of owning another vehicle by providing 24/7 security and a staff of experts to take care of your automotive needs.

“[Your vehicle] will always be ready when you want it to be ready. The pain of owning an extra car, especially a classic, is when you want to take it out for a weekend drive the battery is dead, the tires are flat, it’s dusty and there are cat prints all over it,” Brune said. “When you keep your car at Parc Motor Club, the tires will always be filled, battery on a tender and wiped down. You’ll get on the website [to say you want to] pick up your Porsche or the ‘65 Lincoln for the weekend … it will be in the delivery bay ready for you.”

Parc Motor Club will provide professional detailing, dry ice blasting, ceramic coating and other services clients need to keep their vehicles up-to-par.

If someone doesn’t own a classic car but has always wanted one, Brune says they will have staff available to assist in finding the perfect vehicle; if someone is interested in asset management for their classic car investments, Brune says their staff will keep their cars maintained until they’re ready to sell. They’ll also have professional car photography and video on-site.

Parc Motor Club is set to be the only Bring a Trailer partner in this region. Brune says not even St. Louis, Missouri, or Memphis, Tennessee, have Bring a Trailer options for car owners and sellers, so Cape Girardeau will be the only Bring a Trailer certified partner within hundreds of miles.

Vehicle services are not all the Parc Motor Club has to offer. Brune says there will be a restaurant and bar downstairs open to everyone, but there will be an exclusive club room overlooking the cars where Social Members and Executive Members (those who store their cars) can gather for drinks and food. Through the glass, members can look down at the vehicles which will have rotating spotlights to highlight certain vehicles or series of vehicles Brune says “think country club for car people.”

“It will be a really incredible place to hang out with your friends,” Brune said. “The thing about cars is a person might not be a ‘car person,’ but everyone appreciates the beauty and art of cars, especially classic cars. … Parc Motor Club will be the epicenter for car culture in Southeast Missouri, hosting car and coffee events, rallies, concours events, and other car enthusiast events.”

Organizations and businesses can rent out the space for events so they can host their function against a background of beautiful rolling art. Brune says the whole facility will be unlike anything Cape has seen.

“We traveled the country looking at businesses like both of these. The entire project, both The Pickleball Factory and Parc Motor Club, will have true impact on Cape Girardeau,” Brune said. “This is going to draw a ton of people into our community to shop in our stores, go to our casino, eat in our restaurants, buy fuel at our c-stores, stay in our hotels, rent our Airbnb’s. It’s going to be an amazing economic driver.”

From pickleball tournaments to Parc Motor Club events and gatherings,1507 Independence Street is sure to draw new crowds and people to the region.

Stay updated on the progress of The Pickleball Factory and Parc Motor Club by checking out their website picklecape.com.