May 1st marks 23 years that Doug and I have owned and operated the Club and this year, 2023, we also celebrate the Club’s 50th Anniversary!
In 1973, the Club originally opened as the “Bellingham Indoor Racquet Club” with owners Vincent and Brantley Davis and operated by Bob and Mary Chronister. It included 4 tennis courts along with the lobby and locker room. Over the years, the club changed hands several times and at one point even hosted gymnastic equipment on courts 1 and 2.
In 1999, Doug knew that the club could be for sale and if it sold as anything else (a warehouse, condo development, etc.), that it would be the end of indoor tennis in Bellingham. As a club member and avid tennis player, he did not want that to happen! It also happened that we were looking for a real estate investment and I was ready to return to the work force after being a mostly stay-home mom and my own (part-time) consulting business.
When we bought the club in 2000, we had little idea what we were getting into, but we had strong belief that the club could be a very important part our community. The Club definitely needed work, the membership was low and the facility was feeling “aged.” Over the last 23 years, I am proud of what we have accomplished with a developing a wonderful team of knowledgeable staff, continual improvements to the facility and our equipment, growth in our membership from being a “tennis only” club to one that offers a full service of fitness, indoor cycling, and tennis opportunities.
And most of all? I am thankful for you. Every day when I see so many smiling, happy people here enjoying all that the club has to offer, it fills my heart. We are so grateful to be a healthy part of your life.
~Robin Robertson
