Archery, axe throwing, more coming to Columbus as longtime store leaves downtown

Despite the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on the U.S. economy, businesses continue to make moves in Columbus, opening new stores despite the challenges and changing locations to attract more customers.

Some have not been as fortunate, as national chains continue to announce bankruptcies and restaurants struggle to keep their doors open.

Here’s a roundup of six businesses making waves in the city:

Archery Connection and HobbyTown relocated

After nine years in Phenix City, Archery Connection owners Steve, Janice and Mason Smith have moved their store, Archery Connection and HobbyTown, to north Columbus.

Now at 7607 Veterans Parkway next to Stars and Strikes, the store opened May 28 and held a grand opening last week.

The Phenix City site operated only as Archery Connection, and people would seek it out for lessons and equipment, Steve Smith said. Once the owners added HobbyTown, they realized they needed a location people could find more easily, so they moved into the space once occupied by Front Porch of the South.

“We’d really outgrown the space we were at,” he said. The new building is 35,000 square feet, 5,000 square feet more than the old location.

Along with archery gear, they offer lessons and an indoor range. The hobby side of the store sells radio controlled toys, games and puzzles. They also have two indoor tracks for remote controlled cars.

Steve said the store closed about a month to move, but the pandemic hasn’t hurt business.

“People are looking for stuff to get outside and do things, they’re tired of being in the house,” he said. “The games and puzzles and all of the toys and stuff we sell in the Hobby Town part of it, we’ve been real busy with that.... Kids are out of school and parents don’t know what to do with them.”

Customers come from neighboring states and as far as Mississippi to visit the archery store, Steve said. Having products on the shelves and having the knowledge to teach customers to use the equipment are what draws them.

“The level that we are and the amount of product that we carry is hard to find,” he said.

Southern Roots opens on Broadway

Southern Roots Country Store is planning for a grand opening August 5.

The business is located at 1207 Broadway. It previously housed the restaurant Mr. Ed’s on Broadway, which announced its closure on Facebook on Feb. 15.

The store serves ice cream, “over the top” shakes, scrambled dogs, sandwiches, desserts and country store items like homemade jelly. They have plans to add a burger to the menu soon as well.

Owner Sylvia Nolan said the pandemic pushed back health inspections and delayed the opening of the new store.

“Before COVID we had already signed a lease in February and were supposed to open by April 1,” she said. “It put us way back.”

But the store has been holding a soft opening with limited hours for the past week, and Nolan said the reception has been amazing.

“The uptown community and the 1200 block...they are very supportive with knowledge, they visit, they patronize, they’ve been very welcoming,” she said. “It’s very awesome because I’ve been in business a while and just to get that type of reception from other businesses is something.”

Nolan said she sold the original location on U.S. 80 in Phenix City as a franchise and that she has plans to continue expanding.

Currently, hours are limited for training, according to Nolan. Hours are updated on the store’s Facebook page.

Axe Throwing coming near 6th Avenue

A new axe throwing venue is expected to open this fall on 15th Street.

Co-owners Lori and Jan Greeff applied earlier this year to rezone 517 15th Street to open Stumpy’s Hatchet House, a nationwide franchise that includes locations in Greenville, North Carolina; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Orlando, Tampa and Cocoa, Florida.

“I would compare it to Top Golf but with axes,” Lori Greeff said. “It’s going to be an upscale lounge place where instead of hitting golf balls you throw axes at targets. There’s games you can play and keep score and that kind of thing.”

They have applied for an alcohol license to sell beer and wine on the premises.

Lori said the location should be open in late September or early October. The Columbus resident said she chose the site because it’s in an up and coming area, but without the limited parking like in other parts of Columbus.

“A lot of our business model will focus on corporate team building and parties, so we definitely needed a place where we could have a company come in and (have) plenty of parking for their employees,” she said.

This will be the second axe throwing business to open in downtown Columbus area this year: Columbus Axe opened on 12th Street and Broadway in May, with plans to move into a renovated space in the 1000 block of Broadway this winter.

Suit City, Looking Good leave downtown after 40 years

Clothing stores that have been in the 1000 block of Broadway for 40 years recently consolidated and moved to Manchester Expressway.

Looking Good Discount Store moved to 2602 Manchester Expressway in November of last year, according to owner Gary, who declined to give his last name. Suit City was consolidated and moved over to join it.

“It’s a more centralized location than downtown,” he said.

Gary said he moved the store mainly due to parking issues.

“Broadway has changed, the retail business is different, the parking problems are a lot more, and now of course the COVID,” he said. “Downtown has changed a lot, so that’s the reason we had to move.”

New ice cream shop now open

A new Cold Stone Creamery ice cream shop has opened in north Columbus, one of seven stores in the state.

The store is located at 2501 Whittlesey Blvd. near the Lowe’s shopping center.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, according to the store’s website.

Justice closing, all items must go

The Columbus location of Justice, a clothing store for young girls formerly known as Limited Too, is among more than 600 locations closing nationwide after parent company Ascena Retail Group filed for bankruptcy.

According to USA Today, the Columbus store is one of 19 in Georgia that will be closing as the brand shifts to focus on online sales. Liquidation is expected to last 30 to 60 days.

Items at the Columbus location will be 40 to 60% off with all sales final, according to the store’s website. It is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12-5 p.m. Sundays.

It’s in the Columbus Park Crossing shopping center at 5550 Whittlesey Boulevard near Ulta and Five Below.

This story was originally published July 31, 2020 at 6:00 AM.