Valley Royale

I never would have expected to move back to my hometown, but when I found out that the tennis club I grew up playing at was for sale, my heart hurt a little bit. It had been closed, waiting for a buyer, for over two years. This was a disruption not just for the community, but for the local high school as well. Our high school does not have its own tennis courts and used this private tennis club for practices and matches. During this time, student-athletes had to share courts with another high school and play all away matches.

During the time that I played at the tennis club, members were only allowed on the courts or in the pro shop so I never had the chance to explore the almost 6,000 square feet of the home. As I walked through it for the first time, I saw so much opportunity and quickly started laying out a business plan in my head. Before the end of my week’s stay at home, I put an offer in for the house.

Then, I got that business plan on paper (well, online), worked with the township to ensure that I would be able to re-open the tennis club, reached out to the high school, and most importantly – my former coach at the club to gain any knowledge he could pass onto me.

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By the end of 2019, I purchased the tennis club and renamed it the Valley Royale. Luckily, the pandemic worked in favor for our grand opening in 2020 with tennis being named one of the safest sports. We quickly launched an online court booking system for all members & guests to book a court, private lessons, round robins, team tennis, and tournaments.

Additionally, it gave us more time to continue renovations inside! You can check out some of our news coverage below to see the progress we had made at that time.

By 2021, families & friends in the community were ready to get together to celebrate again and we offered the first-floor of the tennis club for small, private birthday parties, bridal & baby showers, and even a few weddings! The two lounges, large dining room, kitchen, and garden area was the perfect setting to host these memorable moments.

That same year, I became an Airbnb host. I took my time renovating & styling each room so I launched them one by one as private rooms to book. You can check out Room 1, Room 2, and Room 3 now. Room 4 will launch in Spring of 2025!

In 2022, I decided to create a 501c4 non-profit organization that creates free tennis programs for kids in Carbon County, PA. The Valley Royale Foundation also visits gym classes, trains teachers on how to teach fundamentals of tennis, and donates tennis equipments to elementary and middle schools.

At the end of 2024, our tennis courts were resurfaced!