Lloyd Center has seen many changes since its opening in 1960 as Portland’s premiere shopping center, but lately, it feels more like an athletic center. The iconic ice-skating rink on the bottom floor is still a main attraction, but with a new addition of pickleball courts as the latest effort to breathe some life in what’s become a mostly empty mall.
On November 1, Jumbo’s Pickleball opened in the old indoor movie theater at Lloyd Center, adjacent to the food court. Roshan Fernando is one of a handful of investors in Jumbo’s. This is their second location after opening one in Beaverton earlier this year. They saw an opportunity in northeast Portland as pickleball picks up steam in popularity, and with the availability of space at Lloyd Center.
"I think only something around 20% of the town has played it more than maybe one or two times," Fernando said. "So we still have a lot of people who haven't actually tried it."
Katie Slizewski has a background in tennis but says now that she’s found pickleball she’ll never go back to tennis. She is encouraged to see so many people visiting Lloyd Center once again for something new.
There’s a family connection with the name and logo of Jumbo’s Pickleball. Roshan’s father was nicknamed Jumbo as a child in Sri Lanka. He was also a hall-of-fame tennis player at the University of Oregon in the 1970s. He said it was humbling for his son to use his nickname for the center.
"I love being in Portland, growing up here, you know," said Fernando. "A lot of people were really happy that we're putting something wholesome and good like this in the area."
Fernando said he's proud to have grown up in the rose city, visiting the ice-skating rink at Lloyd Center as a child. He said he’s encouraged by seeing businesses investing back into Portland.
Source: https://katu.com/news/local/pickleball-bounces-into-lloyd-center-transforming-an-old-theater-into-new-court-action