Welcome to Beer & Gear, a series where we get to know individuals making big moves in Portland’s Athletic and Outdoor industries. In this edition, author Ellee Thalheimer talks with Dave Sacks, co-founder of recreation venue The People’s Courts.
“For one customer, The People’s Courts has become a kind of church,” says Dave Sacks, co-owner and manager of The People’s Courts (2700 NE 82nd Ave.), a 48,000-square-foot indoor‑outdoor recreation, pickleball, and restaurant venue in Northeast Portland. “A few years ago he lost his wife. And pretty much since the day we opened over two years ago, he has been coming here several times a week. He’s grown close with so many people he would have never met otherwise, and we love that about what we’ve built here.”
These stories are what Dave Sacks and his partners Robert Sacks and Dave Schrott at A&R Development had in mind when they opened The People’s Courts in 2023. They wanted to create a community hub and place for people to connect. Within the facility are six indoor and six outdoor pickleball courts, bocce, ping‑pong, cornhole, Celtic axe throwing, an arcade, and a full‑service restaurant and bar.
Sacks and his partners have owned the building since 2010. Prior to purchasing the property, it was an AMF bowling alley. For 11 years, their tenant was an indoor BMX bike park called The Lumberyard. With The Lumberyard, Sacks and his partners were landlords, disconnected from daily operations.
“But for The People’s Courts, we are hands-on with day-to-day operations,” says Sacks, who played college tennis at The University of Wisconsin and dabbles in pickleball. “The business concept of the People’s Courts was our vision, and we were fortunate to own a property tailor-made for it.”
The partners were onto something. According to the 2025 Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) Participation Report, pickleball – which is a hybrid game landing somewhere between ping pong and tennis – was the fastest growing sport in the country in 2024 for the fourth consecutive year, increasing 45.8% from 2023. On the heels of The People’s Courts, Pickleball Kingdom, a 42,000-square-foot pickleball facility, opened in Tigard in 2025.
“Pickleball is a sport you can pick up and enjoy when you’re older, and that’s rare; we’ve seen people from all walks of life start playing pickleball here,” says Sacks. “Tennis is a more difficult game, especially for beginners. It’s also extremely expensive to build indoor tennis facilities because of how much space is needed. Pickleball takes much less space and makes for a great year-round activity.”
Perusing the tap list at the Russell Street Kitchen – the restaurant and full bar at The People’s Courts – the topnotch beer selection hails mostly from Portland and Oregon more broadly, with a few options from farther afield in the Pacific Northwest. The restaurant overlooks the courts, an excellent spot for a post-pickleball brew.
“Our food and beverage program is not an afterthought; it stands on its own,” says Sacks, who identifies their steelhead rice bowl, parlor-style pizza (a collaboration with Apizza Scholls), and Chicago Dogs as real crowd pleasers. “The People’s Courts isn’t just a pickleball place; it’s a social space where people can enjoy a night out with great food and drinks.”
In fact, as an event space, The People’s Courts casts a wide net with inventive ways to gather people together. Think: corporate outings, tailgate parties with free cornhole in their sports viewing room, summer camps for kids, trivia nights, speed puzzling, Drink and Draw gatherings, Bar and Bat Mitzvah parties, and singles nights for people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s. Since they’ve opened, The People’s Courts has hosted over 1,000 private events.
“People appreciate an alternative to going out to a traditional bar or restaurant. That’s the People’s Courts. It’s very cool to see so many customers enthusiastic about a place where they can be both active and social,” says Sacks.
Ellee Thalheimer is a Portland-based freelance writer and guidebook author. When she can’t get to the trails, she’s writing fiction, relishing local IPAs, falling off bouldering walls, and obsessively scheming the next adventure. Find her on Instagram: @pnw_hedonism.
