Disclosure: I attended American Axes complimentary; however, these are my honest opinions about my experience.
Axe-throwing facilities seem to be growing in popularity as places continue popping up around the United States. American Axes is the first axe-dedicated facility in Marietta, as well as all of Cobb County. How cool is that? I had a chance to experience axe-throwing for the first time there, and I had a blast! Curious to know about the experience, what to expect, and who’s behind it all? Continue reading to learn more about American Axes!
what is axe-throwing?
If you’ve never heard of this before, it’s not a silly question. Axe-throwing is literally what it sounds like. It’s a dedicated facility where you go and throw axes at a target. At American Axes, they have 7 separated stalls to engage in this fun activity. Each stall has a target and an axe, and the goal is to hit the bullseye with the axe. I mean, if we’re being honest, my goal for 98% of the night was to just get the axe to stick anywhere on the board!
i’ve never done this before, and i’m nervous. will i hurt someone or myself?
No worries! I was the exact same way before I went. I had seen pictures/videos of people doing it and I had friends who had told me of their experiences, but I personally had never done it. To me, it honestly seemed a little scary. American Axes provides coaches for each group who help you learn the proper axe-throwing techniques. They take you step-by-step while demonstrating themselves, and answering any and all questions you may have. On the tables, there are also step-by-step instructions with pictograms for those who would also like written instructions.
who is the owner of american axes?
Oh! I’m so glad you asked! I met Dan the night I visited American Axes, and he is so nice. He took the time to answer five questions for you to better get to know him and what his company means:
Q: Hi Dan! Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me. Can you please tell us a little about yourself?
A: I am originally from Connecticut and moved to Atlanta in 2008 right after college and have spent my entire professional career in Atlanta working in Sports Marketing. Fun fact: I am actually the original hammer from the Home Depot tool race when that started in 2009, I was a marketing intern for the Atlanta Braves and the only person tall enough to fit into the costume. After the Braves, I spent the next ten years working for different sports marketing agencies in the Atlanta area and traveled the country representing brands. I am proud to say that I have been to all 50 states and have visited many national parks along the way. The appreciation for National Parks and travel around the United States was big inspiration towards our name and how our store appears.
Q: American Axes is the first all axe-throwing place in Marietta, Georgia as well as Cobb County. Can you please tell us how and why you decided to devote your time to building this company?
A: I was actually let go from my past agency in an 800-person layoff in early 2019. Had that never happened, I doubt that we would be having this conversation. My father-in-law took his company on an outing and asked me to check into it. I thought it was a really fun activity and something that I really enjoyed. From there, I wrote and refined a business plan and we decided to go for it. It took about six months to go from making that decision to opening our doors. We chose Cobb County because we believe that it is a thriving community and was underserved with most of the axe throwing ranges in the Atlanta area being located in the city limits.
Q: How did you get your first customer? What keeps people coming back?
A: My background is in marketing, so we did a soft open for several weeks mostly from an audience built on social media. We learned a lot about the operations side of the business before we did a major marketing blitz that included a ribbon cutting ceremony that attracted several major news outlets in Atlanta.
What keeps people coming back is very important to us. We believe that this is more than a one-time activity, because we take time to teach people different games and get competitive with their groups. Axe throwing with us is very much a service experience where our very outgoing coaches teach the basic skills and give games that make an hour long experience fly by.
Q: How was American Axes changed from where it started, to where it is now?
A: We have grown out customer base quickly. We have been so happy with the amount of support and interest that we have received from the Cobb County community. We have more than doubled our staff headcount in the first two months of operations because of how busy we have been, but we also want to provide that same great experience, so the additional coaches ensures that a coach can really dedicate their time to their group.
Q: How do you see American Axes impacting the Marietta community?
A: We chose to be in Marietta and in the Franklin Gateway area because we feel that is currently in a renaissance. We are excited about the opportunity that is ahead of us to provide a new type of entertainment to the Marietta and Cobb area. We are also excited to give back to the community with supporting other Marietta businesses and have already fostered a close relationship with Schoolhouse Brewing and Hoyle’s Kitchen + Bar.
what if i have more questions?
Want to know their policy on bringing your own food/drinks? Curious about age requirements? How many people are allowed per lane? Great news! On their website, American Axes has a Frequently Asked Questions section where they address the top concerns people have before visiting an axe-throwing facility.
Feel free to reach out to me – I’ll do my best to answer what I can. And feel free to reach out directly to American Axes! I know they will be more than happy to answer any questions to help you feel more comfortable with your experience! I’ll go ahead and answer one question for you right now: how much is it to axe-throw? The answer: prices start at $25/person per hour, but rates decrease with larger parties. Connect with American Axes to figure out exact pricing!
Are you interested in trying axe-throwing? Have you done it before? Are you in the Atlanta/Marietta area? Do you want to check out American Axes? So many questions! Let me know in the comments 🙂 And as always, thank you for reading!