Photo | Courtesy of Bosse Sports
A rendering of Bosse, a new pickleball concept coming to the Natick Mall
October 12, 2023
Pickleball club to take over former Neiman Marcus space in Natick Mall
Photo | Grant Welker
The Natick Mall location of Neiman Marcus was sold to Bulfinch.
By Timothy Doyle
Boston developer Bulfinch Cos. has pulled the plug on plans to repurpose the former Neiman Marcus department store at the Natick Mall as lab space and is instead working with a fitness club owner to put a pickleball club in the shopping center.
D.J. Bosse plans on opening the 21-court facility, to be named Bosse, in the summer or fall of 2024, according to an Oct. 5 press release from Bulfinch. The plan must be approved by the Natick Planning Board.
Bosse will lease all 94,000 square feet of the retail space and in addition to the courts will build a lounge and event space, a full-service restaurant, two bars, a training center, and locker rooms. The club will offer physical therapy and personal training.
The project will require a $15-million renovation of the space, according to a Boston Business Journal report.
"We are thrilled to introduce Bosse to the growing pickleball community in Boston’s Metrowest and beyond. This one-of-a-kind facility will not only cater to an increasing demand for pickleball but also create a dynamic hub for socialization, entertainment, and friendly competition,” D. J. Bosse said in an emailed statement. “We hope to provide a premier destination where the community can come together, challenge themselves, and have a memorable experience – all under one roof!"
Bosse is a veteran of the sports and recreation industry. Bosse Sports has a location in the Hyde Park neighborhood in Boston featuring pickleball courts, a basketball court, and a turf field. Bosse designed the fitness center at the nearby condominium complex Nouvelle at Natick.
Property owner Bulfinch has experience repositioning retail spaces for new uses. It transformed the 286,000-square-foot Atrium Mall in Chestnut Hill into a wellness and medical center, and in Brockton the company leased a former Dick’s Sporting Goods to Urban Air Adventure Park.
Bulfinch bought the property from Neiman Marcus in 2021 for $12.6 million. In spring 2022, the developer proposed expanding the structure and turning the building into 135,000 square feet of lab space.
Pickleball has been sweeping the nation as a workout trend, offering competition with a low barrier of entry in terms of skills to acquire or athleticism required. As retail developers seek to diversify the usages of large retail spaces, pickleball clubs offer a low-cost renovation option for spaces that offer a lot of open space and high ceilings.
In July, Ben Minsk announced that he is building a pickleball club with eight courts in a 30,000 square-foot space at Wachusett Plaza in West Boylston.
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