Our Story.

We’re Lisa & Dustin DeMeritt, co-founders of DinkyBalls and former owners of Pickles Indoor Pickleball Club. But more than anything, we’re just two people who fell in love with the game, the community, and the people who made it feel like home. When we opened Pickles in 2021, it wasn’t part of a grand plan. It was a simple idea: create a space where anyone, any age, any ability, any background, could show up and feel like they belonged. What happened next was more than we ever imagined. Players came for the game, but they stayed for each other.

Over time, standing behind the counter, watching matches, and chatting between games, we saw something extraordinary. Pickleball wasn’t just play, it was personality. Every serve, every lob, every laugh revealed something unique about the person holding the paddle. That realization planted the seed for DinkyBalls. Not a business plan, but a spark born from the court itself. Inspired by the quirks, spirit, and confidence of the players we met every day, we began to imagine a collection of characters that could reflect those personalities and celebrate them in a fun, playful way.

As DinkyBalls grew, so did our understanding of what it represented. It wasn’t just about characters or merch, it was about the people, places, and feeling that made pickleball special in the first place. For us, DinkyBalls is a way to take care of that feeling. A way to honor the players and communities who made pickleball feel like more than a sport. And a way to help carry that sense of belonging, joy, and connection forward as the game continues to grow.

If we’ve learned anything, it’s this: Be YOU. Play your way.