From paddle demos and knowledgeable advice to supporting the next generation of players, The Racket House is helping shape Kelowna’s rapidly growing pickleball community.
Pickleball was already growing quickly throughout the Okanagan when The Racket House opened its doors in Kelowna. Courts were filling up, new players were discovering the game every week, and enthusiasm for the sport was becoming impossible to miss.
What was missing was a dedicated local store where players could find quality equipment—and receive knowledgeable, personal guidance about what would work best for them.
For founders Val Eren and Rachel, it was a gap they couldn’t ignore.
“I’d moved out to the Okanagan from Ontario, and once I got here, I could see the sport exploding,” Val says. “There were new players everywhere, courts were packed and people were picking up paddles for the first time every week—but there was nowhere in the region built specifically for them.”
That realization became the foundation for The Racket House: a specialty racquet-sports store created to serve pickleball, tennis and padel players across Kelowna and the wider Okanagan.
A Different Kind of Pickleball Store
The inspiration behind The Racket House came from watching people fall in love with racquet sports—only to become overwhelmed when it was time to choose their equipment.
For someone new to pickleball, buying a first paddle can be confusing. Weight, grip size, shape, core material and playing style can all affect how a paddle feels and performs. Without the right guidance, players can easily end up with equipment that doesn’t suit them.
“We didn’t want someone’s first paddle to be the reason their excitement fizzled out,” Val explains.
Instead of treating pickleball as a small section within a general sporting-goods store, The Racket House built its approach around the specific needs of players. The store carries established pickleball brands including Selkirk, CRBN and Honolulu Pickleball, alongside other trusted names in racquet sports.
More importantly, customers can demo paddles before committing to a purchase.
The ability to try before buying gives players a better understanding of what feels comfortable and complements their game. It also allows The Racket House team to provide recommendations based on the individual—not simply what happens to be available on the shelf.
“New players often don’t know what questions to ask,” Val says. “They may only know that the paddle they borrowed felt too heavy or didn’t feel right. What they’re really looking for is honest guidance about what suits their level, their swing and their budget.”
Experienced players arrive with more technical questions about paddle weight, spin potential, construction and core material. Regardless of experience level, the goal is the same: to help each person make a confident, informed choice.
The store also provides professional racquet stringing and equipment services on-site, extending its expertise across tennis and other racquet sports.
A Personal Connection to the Game
Val’s own path into racquet sports didn’t begin with pickleball.
Originally from Riga, Latvia, he moved to Canada at the age of 10. After playing hockey, he didn’t pick up a racquet until he was 30—but that late start developed into a serious commitment to tennis.
He went on to train under respected coaches including Nick Bollettieri and Gregg Le Sueur before becoming a certified coach himself. Today, he continues to coach at Lakeview Heights Tennis Club.
Rachel came to racquet sports from a competitive figure-skating background and discovered pickleball more recently.
Neither founder arrived with decades of pickleball experience. Instead, they have been learning and growing alongside many of the customers they serve.
That perspective is part of what makes The Racket House especially welcoming to newer players. Val and Rachel understand what it feels like to enter a sport without knowing what questions to ask—and how valuable the right support can be.
As Val began playing pickleball regularly, that firsthand experience also became an important part of the store’s buying decisions and customer recommendations.
Growing Alongside Kelowna’s Pickleball Community
The growth of pickleball in Kelowna has been remarkable.
Every season, The Racket House sees more first-time players entering the store—often after discovering the game through a workplace social, family gathering or invitation from a friend. Many arrive as casual players and return only weeks later with increasingly specific questions about their equipment and game.
“What stands out isn’t only the number of new players,” Val says. “It’s how quickly they go from casual to committed. Someone borrows a paddle once, and a month later they’re back asking about grip size and spin.”
Court availability has struggled to keep pace with that demand, reflecting just how firmly pickleball has established itself within the Okanagan.
The Racket House’s involvement extends beyond its retail space. The team hosts paddle demo days, supports local tournaments and helps connect newer players with instruction. Its broader mission is to make racquet sports more accessible for people of every age and ability while helping bring the next generation of players into the community.
Choosing Brands with Purpose
The Racket House isn’t interested in filling shelves simply for the sake of offering more choices.
When deciding which brands and products to carry, performance comes first. The team looks closely at whether equipment holds up during real play, whether the construction supports the claims being made and whether the brand stands behind its products.
The store also looks for companies that understand and participate in the sport—not those simply trying to capitalize on its rapid growth.
“We’d rather carry fewer brands that we trust completely than fill shelf space,” Val says. “The question is always whether Rachel or I would put it in our own bag.”
That same philosophy led The Racket House to bring NONVØLI into the store.
Why NONVØLI Belongs at The Racket House
Like The Racket House, NONVØLI was created from inside the game.
Founded in British Columbia, NONVØLI creates premium pickleball-inspired apparel designed for life on and off the court. The brand’s local roots, connection to the sport and focus on versatile lifestyle apparel made it a natural fit for The Racket House.
“NONVØLI is built by people who actually play the game, and that matters to us,” Val says. “It’s the same philosophy we run the shop on. It’s local, which we always love to support, and it’s clothing we would genuinely wear ourselves as people who play racquet sports.”
For NONVØLI, partnering with The Racket House is about more than placing apparel in a retail store. It is an opportunity to work alongside people who care deeply about the player experience and the continued growth of the local pickleball community.
Kelowna and Okanagan-area customers can now discover and shop select NONVØLI apparel in person at The Racket House.
What’s Next for The Racket House
The next stage of the journey will take The Racket House beyond the Okanagan.
Val and Rachel are preparing to launch the store’s online shop, giving players across Canada access to their curated selection of pickleball, tennis and padel equipment. While the finishing touches are underway, The Racket House will continue supporting local tournaments and building its presence within the community.
The way people shop may be expanding, but the store’s purpose remains unchanged: help players find equipment they can trust, make racquet sports more accessible and support the communities growing around them.
In a sport expanding as quickly as pickleball, that kind of personal guidance matters.
Visit The Racket House
Visit The Racket House in Kelowna for pickleball paddles, equipment, professional advice and select NONVØLI apparel.
The Racket House
Kelowna, British Columbia
www.therackethouse.ca
1771 Cooper Rd #14, Kelowna, BC V1Y 8R6, Canada