More Pickleball

New-to-Austin pickleball network adds first location south of river

Two men play pickleball on a Picklr court.

This will be the third location for the fast-growing franchise.

Photo courtesy of The Picklr

One fast-growing pickleball franchise is starting to achieve a citywide network in Austin. The Picklr has announced a third Austin-area location that will open in December 2026 at 7107 West Hwy. 71, Ste. D1 in Southwest Austin.

This facility, dubbed The Picklr Austin Oak Hill, will span 38,000 square feet and contain eight indoor courts made with proprietary outdoor surfacing, three of which will be championship-sized. There will also be a pro shop and places to hang out, host events, and watch people play.

It will welcome players of all levels, whether they're playing casually, in a league, or in tournaments, plus exclusive member programming. Players can up their skills with certified instructors in what a press release calls "one of the most advanced pickleball development programs in the country."

The courts are taking over the former home of Epic Fun, an entertainment complex that offered bowling, climbing courses, games, and more. Locals can find the facility where U.S. 290 and Highway 71 merge.

This opening is fulfilling an implied promise from The Picklr, which offers nationwide access with every membership: give Austinites options for playing around the city as well as the country. The chain only announced its first two local openings just over a year ago in July 2024. Now both are up-and-running near Lake Travis and in Round Rock, making this the first option south of the Colorado River.

There are now eight Picklr locations in Texas, spread across Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth. There's also one coming to San Antonio and more than 500 new clubs in development across the continent.

“Having recently opened the Austin West location reinforces our mission to make world-class pickleball experiences available to every player in both our clubs,” said Karen Hoisington, one of three Picklr Austin Oak Hill franchise owners. “Each new Picklr location represents our commitment to innovation, connection, and competition — everything this sport is about.”

Founding members at the Oak Hill location will receive a discounted membership rate for life. Rates are not listed, but an unlimited individual membership at one of the existing Austin-area locations starts at $149 monthly.

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Recycled Reads Revamped

Here's what will happen when the Austin library's used bookstore closes

Recycled Reads Bookstore/Facebook

The Recycled Reads Bookstore will close, but the program will continue with some changes.

Austin Public Library will always have books that need to be retired, but due to city budget cuts, it is closing its dedicated used bookstore. Here's how Austinites can continue donating and buying used books when doors to the Recycled Reads Bookstore (5335 Burnet Rd.) close on January 17.

The Recycled Reads program started in 2009 to reduce materials sent from APL to the landfill. Sellable items (i.e. those in good-enough condition) were gathered from various libraries to one central store in a rented, privately owned space. Books that weren't sold were sent to Goodwill Central Texas, which stripped the bindings and recycled what it could. Besides books, the store also sold CDs, DVDs, art, board games, puzzles, and more.

The language the city is using to talk about the closure and its aftermath frame it as a "transition to its new citywide model for used materials sales." In other words, instead of selling books in one central location, APL will sell them at the libraries themselves. This could be convenient for some book-lovers who prefer to visit their local library, but will result in a more hit-or-miss browsing process.

The transition also includes a new recycling partner, Better World Books, an online bookseller that deals mostly in used books and donates books and funds to literacy programs around the world.

A newsletter from the city alerts shoppers and donors to the following new conditions:

Accepting fewer materials: Starting today, November 17, APL will only accept four types of donations: Blu-rays, DVDs, and CDs.
Final drop-off day: Donors can stop by the current Recyled Reads Bookstore for the last day on December 31.This is also the last day people can check out or borrow items from the Tool Library collection.
Maximum donation volumes: All APL locations will only accept two grocery bags or standard boxes (like one that copy paper is sold in) at a time.
Passport Services is moving: The city operates four Passport Services Offices. The one that was located at Recycled Reads has already transitioned to the Yarborough Branch Library.

The new system will be in effect as of February, 2026.

According to the city, Recycled Reads was losing more than $400,000 per year for the past two fiscal years. The newsletter does not say whether the city considered moving to a space with lower rent; however, it implies it did not. The City of Austin Strategic Facilities Plan says city departments should “reduce the reliance on leased space,” and as a result, the departments have been moving into city-owned spaces when they can.

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