‘Darts with axes’: Why Columbus became an axe-throwing hub in 2020
Three axe-throwing locations opened in Columbus in 2020: Stumpy’s Hatchet House, Columbus Axe and Back That Axe Up.
Each location offers something different. Back That Axe Up views itself as a bar, while Stumpy’s bills itself as a place that offers team-building activities. Columbus Axe does not currently serve alcohol.
It’s a niche market, for sure. Some owners and city officials compare the axe-throwing phenomenon to darts or bowling.
But what made Columbus a sudden hub for axe-throwing lounges? And how do the city’s three locations differentiate themselves while offering such similar services?
“It provides another source of entertainment,” Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Peter Bowden told the Ledger-Enquirer. “Not just for the people who live here, but for visitors who are coming to Columbus.”
Unusual, but in a good way
The axe-throwing trend has caught on in Columbus quickly due to a variety of factors.
Columbus’ heavy military presence can somewhat be attributed to the success of its axe-throwing locations, Milliner and Greef said. Milliner said the military crowd has served a “nice part” in his location’s success.
Bowden agreed.
“Obviously Fort Benning, you’ve got soldiers that are looking for an outlet,” Bowden said.
But it’s also the demographics of Muscogee County that have helped the trend stick.
Muscogee County’s population has passed 195,000 people, according to 2019 census data, the most recent available. Over 86% of the population is younger than 65-years-old, and the median household income hovers around $46,000.
“You’ve got a millennial and Gen Z demographic that are looking for something that’s just different,” Bowden said. “A place for them to come together and have fun with their friends. It’s a combination of all of that.”
Back That Axe Up manager Karissa Botset, a military wife, said the unique idea behind an axe-throwing lounge or bar is the reason so many in Columbus have flocked to the locations.
It’s like bowling but less dated.
“I think we’re all looking for something to do, and a way to connect,” Greef said. “Bowling is fun, but it’s worn out, you know? I think we’re just looking for things to do — to get out and socialize.”
Customers of various ages (all over 21) visit Back That Axe Up. Botset said the bar hosted two parties recently where, at one, none of the customers threw axes. At the other, none of the customers drank from the bar.
“The fact that there are three (axe-throwing locations), I don’t know that that’s a bad thing,” Bowden said. “It gives people an option of different places to go, different amenities.”
Same axes, different audiences
While Columbus’ three axe-throwing locations may seem incredibly similar at first glance, each spot is aimed toward its own target audience.
Two of the three locations — Stumpy’s and Back That Axe Up — serve alcohol, and only one serves liquor.
Back That Axe Up serves a full liquor bar.
That means the bar is 21-and-older only, while the other two locations allow younger customers (the number changes depending on the location and day of the week) to enter.
“We’re a bar, we just have axe throwing on the side,” Botset told the Ledger-Enquirer. “That’s really what sets us aside: we’re an adult axe-throwing place only.”
Stumpy’s Hatchet House, 517 15th Street, opened on Dec. 17. Described by owner Lauri Greef in a previous Ledger-Enquirer interview as “Top Golf but with axes,” Stumpy’s is an 18-and-older facility, and ID is required with each reservation. The age requirement drops to 13 years old on Sundays, the lounge’s designated family day.
The interior features leather couches and chairs to add to the upscale feel. It’s not a “gun range-style venue,” according to its owner.
“It’s an upscale axe-throwing venue,” Greef said.
Stumpy’s includes a beer and wine bar but does not serve liquor. It also does not serve alcohol on Sundays. Greef said the location, which is part of a nationwide chain, aims to be more of a team-building oriented environment and focus on gatherings such as corporate events.
Columbus Axe opened May 21, after a delay caused by COVID-19. It doesn’t serve alcohol but plans to once it changes location. It is waiting on the renovation of the former Regal Jewelers building at 1023 Broadway, between Columbus State University Housing and Uptown Exclusives.
The new location will have a bar and some sort of separation between a lounge area and the axe throwing, which can get noisy, the Ledger-Enquirer previously reported.
“It’s a wide range of age groups that come in here,” Milliner said.
This story was originally published January 4, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
