Just five years ago, Selkirk Sport LLC was a pickleball-products manufacturer and retailer with a niche following in an up-and-coming sport that operated out of a 10,000-square-foot shop near the Coeur d’Alene Airport. 

Today, the family-run company has grown to more than 200 employees and spans 150,000 square feet across five buildings in Idaho, including a pro shop store in Boise, positioning itself as one of the most sought-after brands in the fastest-growing sport in the country.

Earlier this month, the company opened its first hometown pro shop, selling paddles, shoes, accessories, and balls, all branded with the Selkirk Sport name. The pro shop is located at 7878 Government Way, in Dalton Gardens, just outside of Coeur d’Alene. 

The Journal last reported on Selkirk Sport in 2023 in the midst of a pickleball craze that took hold during the pandemic-induced lockdowns. While the pandemic had a lot to do with the niche sport's rise in popularity, Tom Barnes, the company’s co-owner and director of research and development, is confident that the window in which the sport would have been considered a fad has passed, and pickleball is here to stay. 

“There were concerns that it was,” Barnes says. “But we’ve done all the research and looked into all those trends that did die out in previous sports, like racquetball, and we use those as case studies to prevent the sport from having the same death.” 

Barnes says he is heavily involved the governing aspects of pickleball and its regulation and standards. Racquetball, he asserts, failed as a sport because the integrity of the sport was not preserved by its governing body. 

“We’re doing things here to make sure that we don’t mismanage the sport as a whole,” Barnes says. “We do a ton of grassroots advocacy, and we do a lot of work with other brands and other industries and governing bodies to make sure we don’t screw ourselves 20 years from now.” 

Selkirk Sport was established in 2014 by Barnes’ father and two older brothers: Jim Barnes, president and co-founder; Rob Barnes, co-CEO and co-founder; and Mike Barnes, co-founder and co-CEO. Tom Barnes, a Marine with the U.S. Navy, joined the company two years later after transitioning to the reserves and returning to Coeur d’Alene. The company is headquartered at 745 W. Hanley, overlooking the Selkirk Mountains from which the company derives its name. Selkirk Sport also operates a domestic manufacturing facility where it conducts research and product development. 

Barnes declines to disclose company revenue but says the company grew 70% in 2024 and an estimated 1,900% since the start of the pandemic. He expects growth to level out in the years to come. 

Pickleball is described as a blend of Ping-Pong, badminton, and tennis. It is played on a small court with paddles and a whiffle-like ball. Barnes says he, his dad, and brothers all started out playing pickleball at the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene about five years before they decided to open their own pickleball company. Back then, pickleball players had two choices: a plywood paddle or a composite paddle, which was a bit lighter to use. At the time, his older brothers ran a company that imported airsoft goods. When the company was sold, they were left with the 10,000-square-foot space near the Coeur d’Alene Airport and decided to start a pickleball company in the newly vacated space. For a long time, the space functioned as a warehouse, headquarters, and manufacturing space, he says. 

Since then, the Barnes family has built a line of pickleball products, gear, and accessories, developed their own software products and cell phone applications, gained a dedicated following, and immersed themselves in protecting the integrity of the sport.  

“That’s what we always wanted to build, this ecosystem of pickleball,” Barnes says. “Not only do we happen to be the largest company in pickleball and the most well-known brand, but also we have by far the largest ecosystem of products and services.” 

For Barnes, preserving the integrity of the sport is as important as the integrity of the equipment the company develops and sells. He often receives calls from other companies in the industry that pressure him to lower the quality of their products so that the market is even for all brands selling pickleball equipment. Barnes, however, is against degrading the quality of his products, known as planned obsolescence, which would require Selkirk’s patrons to replace their gear more regularly. 

“We’re leveraging our entire company behind our product performance,” Barnes says. “We’re pickleball players that happen to run a pickleball business, so for us, we want equipment we would want to play with, we are proud of and that we enjoy … it’s common sense for us to make the best equipment possible for the customer and also that will make people brand loyal to us.” 

Looking ahead, Barnes says, as the company becomes larger, he’s focused on maintaining the most cutting-edge products. He is also focused on bringing more of its manufacturing to Idaho. While most of its products are manufactured locally, there are a few products that the company has to source overseas, he says. 

“We really think we’re here to stay,” Barnes says. “We’ve crossed all the benchmarks that required us to stick, and it's just a fun sport. People play it forever.”