The closure of Win Well Tennis at the Stone Oak Plaza retail center provided Jeff Connell, who had worked in education and real estate, an opportunity to acquire and run his own business and indulge in tennis, a sport he has loved for 30 years.

In March 2021, Connell opened Love-15 Tennis & Pickleball, which offers a range of attire and accessories for tennis and pickleball players, and is named after the four-point system for scoring the game. Points are 15, 30, 40 and love, which means zero.

“Because I’m such a tennis fan and I play all the time, even though I’m older, I still play every chance I get. [My wife, Crista Connell,] said this is kind of a no-brainer,” he said of opening the Stone Oak store.

Connell said he aims to share all that he has learned about tennis with Love-15 customers.

“We try to be a one-stop shop for everything tennis, and more and more towards pickleball, too. We want to suit you up—from your racket and your head to your toes—with everything you’d need for tennis,” Connell said.

He and his associates take their time to get to know their customers and help them the best attire or rackets, he said.

“Most people don’t understand much about [racket] strings or what’s the best racket for them. I didn’t know much about it until I opened this business. I try to take my time with everyone and teach them so they understand what they’re buying,” Connell said.

Love-15’s staff strings 40-70 rackets a week, Connell said, adding that local competitive tennis players Kelly Williford and Jackson Ross—both of whom previously worked at Win Well—provide specialty help when it comes to stringing customers’ rackets.

“They’ve helped me immensely. They were here when I bought the place, and they’ve stayed on, and it was a real smooth transition,” Connell said.