Blood, sweat and tears gave Tim Bourgeois the foundation he needed to get a dream off the ground. A mix of sand and volleyball allowed the dream to take shape and inflate over the past 21 years.
Bourgeois is the owner and operator of Mango’s Beach Volleyball, a perpetually growing Baton Rouge beach volleyball club, bar and restaurant tucked away off South Sherwood Forest Boulevard behind the corporate offices of Piccadilly.
“We started off when it was sort of like a wilderness back here,” Bourgeois, who operates Mango’s with his wife, Tina, on West Bricksome Avenue, tells Business Report in a feature from the current issue.
From humble beginnings, Mango’s has blossomed into a volleyball oasis of sorts, with nearly a dozen courts, a packed schedule of league matches every weekday evening and about 20 tournaments that take place on weekends between February. There’s a seasonal shutdown each November.
More than that, though, Mango’s has become a gathering place for beginner and advanced players from across the metro area, ranging in age from 12 to senior citizens. Think Cheers with volleyball as the backdrop—a place where everybody knows your name.
“I’ve made so many lifelong friends through my involvement with this place,” says Tim Parrott, a Baton Rouge electrical contractor. “I started playing there the year they opened, so this is my 21st year out there. I’ve watched people meet here, get married and now they’re raising families. I know when Tim and Tina opened the place, they never in their wildest dreams could’ve foreseen what it has turned into.”
There really is no place like Mango’s in the Capital Region. The lack of competition has helped Mango’s flourish through the years. You have to drive to New Orleans or Lafayette to find beach volleyball businesses as booming as Mango’s.
Laguna Beach popped up in Denham Springs a few years ago, but it only has about half the number of courts as Mango’s, as well as lighter league and tournament schedules.
And unlike Mango’s, Laguna Beach was dealt a significant blow during the recent flood, and has halted fall league registration as its owners, employees and patrons work to rebuild their homes and lives. It recently held its first post-flood tournament and anticipates reopening for the winter league.
Two milestone events also helped facilitate growth at Mango’s. In 1996, the Olympics added beach volleyball for both men and women, and in 2010 the NCAA adopted the sport. The LSU women’s beach volleyball team just wrapped up its third season of hosting its home matches at Mango’s. The popularity of beach volleyball, a one-time niche sport, has exploded among recreational players as well. Today, you can now find some of the most competitive beach volleyball in the state taking place at Mango’s.
“It’s a fun sport,” Bourgeois, who still plays four nights a week, says of the game’s growing appeal. “You don’t have to be superstar, and it’s good stress relief.”
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