Take an inside look at new business bringing ‘something different’ to downtown Columbus

Coronavirus may have slowed the opening of a new Columbus business that offers axe throwing, but it isn’t holding them back, according to co-owner Charles Sanderson.

Located at 1200 Broadway, Columbus Axe opened May 21 after several weeks of delay due to the pandemic. But the reception has been much better than expected, Sanderson said.

“I’m surprised how well Columbus is doing with that right behind us,” he said. “Especially on Friday, Saturday night from 7 to 10 p.m., we’re full. We can take walk-ins if there’s room, but we haven’t had room for them.”

With only two weekends behind him, Sanderson said he’s already seeing repeat visitors.

“They have such a good time they just come right back,” he said. “It’s just a fun time, it’s exciting.”

How it works

A little bit like bowling and a little bit like darts, Sanderson said the game’s fast pace makes participants energized and engaged, and the variety of games that can be played keeps people coming back for more.

The walls are lined with large wooden targets that are divided from each other by chain link fence. Due to coronavirus, only half of the stations are in use at a time and each group has their own table, whereas normally they would have to share.

Each person is given a couple of axes to throw and, after a safety briefing, players are coached for a few minutes by an expert who will help guide the group until they’ve gotten the hang of hitting the target.

After that, it’s up to the group to decide how they’ll count points and if they’ll play a traditional game or something more complex.

Reservations are highly encouraged, especially with social distancing limiting the number of stations available. The cost is $20 per person for one hour of play.

Current hours are 5-10 p.m. Thursdays, 5-11 p.m. Fridays and 12-11 p.m. Saturdays.

Why they chose Columbus

Sanderson is an entrepreneur and among his businesses are two more axe throwing locations in Wetumpka and Prattville, Alabama.

“We went axe throwing I think early last year, and as soon as I walked in I was like ‘this is great, Prattville needs this,” he said. “We closed our 24-hour gym, and it was a good business but we closed it because it was the perfect spot for what we wanted for the axe place. We opened that in October last year.”

The business was a success, and within in a few weeks Sanderson had co-owners to help open the Wetumpka location.

He set his eyes on Auburn for a third, but found Alabama’s liquor liability laws much stricter than Georgia’s, so he landed on Columbus. Typically axe throwing businesses incorporate a small bar, which the Columbus location will eventually have.

Sanderson said he didn’t realize how big the city was, but that he has been welcomed by other downtown entrepreneurs and city staff who have helped him find the perfect location and start the business.

“We had originally planned not to come to a city this big, but when we realized that nobody was here, we said ‘we’ve got to take this opportunity, we’ve got to jump on this.’ And we like downtown areas...because they’re being revitalized right now,” Sanderson said.

The appeal of old buildings and being able to bring them back to life, and the neighborhood along with it, draws him to those areas.

He said he could see Columbus was in the middle of revitalization and wanted to be part of it.

“It’s like a small town inside of a big city,” Sanderson said. “It’s a lot like where I’m from, Prattville, you know you’ve got a couple of people that are doing a lot: this guy has three or four businesses, this guy has a couple properties, and there’s a handful of people, five or 10, that are bringing that downtown back to life and I see that same thing happening here.”

Sanderson said he thinks downtown Columbus is the perfect fit for his business.

“People want experience, and that’s what we’re giving them,’ he said. “I think that’s what all downtowns should be, downtowns should be full of experience, bars, restaurants, something different that you’ve never done. That’s why we wanted to bring this here.”

Current space is temporary location

Columbus Axe is temporarily located in the former Raymond Rowe building that was most recently occupied by Big Dog Running Company. They are waiting on the renovation of the former Regal Jewelers building at 1023 Broadway, between Columbus State University Housing and Uptown Exclusives.

The renovation is expected to be completed this winter, when the business will move to the larger space.

“It wasn’t ready yet and we didn’t want to wait for that space to be ready because somebody else may come in this area,” Sanderson explained.

The new location will have a bar and some sort of separation between a lounge area and the axe throwing, which can get noisy.

John Teeples, the local contractor who is renovating the 1023 building, owns the 1200 building and is planning a major renovation there too, Sanderson said.