Page 17 - BusinessWest September 5, 2022
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Members
of one of the leagues throwing at the Agawam Axe House show off their axes, and their enthusiasm for the increasingly popular sport.
are now hundreds of venues across Canada, the U.S., Australia, Europe, and elsewhere, with more opening their doors every year.
Indeed, Townsend, a native of Australia whose parents still live there, said she keeps urging them to open an axe-throwing business in Sid- ney. They haven’t, but others have, much to her consternation.
There are now actually two bodies govern- ing the sport and promoting it on a global scale — the International Axe Throwing Federation (IATF), which the Agawam Axe House oper- ates under, and the World Axe Throwing League (WATL).
Overall, the sport is catching on at many lev-
els, everything from tournaments, including the U.S. Open, staged by the WATL — which took place in July in Minneapolis, with the finals air- ing on ESPN — and the International Axe Throw- ing Championship, which took place in June, to amateurs picking up the sport in places like the Agawam Axe House.
As for the business of axe throwing ... getting off the ground was relatively easy, said Townsend, explaining that she acquired the location, secured the necessary permits (a liquor license was sought initially but not granted), and found insurance — a necessary but expensive item in this business sector, to be sure — through a com- pany in Chicago that specializes in writing poli-
cies for axe-throwing establishments.
And, as noted, things got off to a fast start, and
the company quickly built up some momentum. But COVID brought things to a screeching halt
in the spring of 2020, as it prompted the clos-
“That’s part of the fun; you come in thinking, ‘I’m never going to
be able to do this,’ and you stick it, and the elation is ... well, that’s what it’s all about. That’s why it’s so addictive.”
ing of all indoor sports facilities, said Townsend, adding that she and Manning eventually gained permission from the town to operate a few lanes outdoors, enabling the business to survive until restrictions were fully lifted in the spring of 2021. Since then, business has been steady, with healthy amounts of new and repeat business, with both being vital to the success of any sports- related business.
Visitors to the Axe House, which now also boasts ‘foot bowling’ — bowling with a football — can use ‘house’ axes or bring their own, although it must meet certain specifications, especially with the size of the head and the material for the handle; it must be wood to control the amount of
Axe
Continued on page 44
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