![]() ![]() “Word of mouth has been our biggest marketer.” We had a lot of Christmas parties,” she says, adding TommyHawks has at least one company party of 20 people or more each week. “When Christmas hit, in December, it was crazy. The customer growth was notable late last year, as Kacey says December was the establishment’s best month: About 300 Axe Pass gift cards were sold. Monthly attendance has tripled to roughly 900. While attendance averaged 300 per month in 2018, Kacey says word of mouth has been a big contributor to a significant hike in customers this year. Kacey says her husband, who had been making tomahawks since 2017, was convinced indoor axe throwing was coming to Springfield and wanted to be the first in the market. ![]() Prior to opening, the Jenningses did not scout out area operations. Opposite of TommyHawks, Craft Axe Throwing has a bar available to visitors, but does not allow outside alcohol. In Springfield, Craft Axe Throwing LLC joined TommyHawks as the second such business in the recreational field, opening last August in Wilhoit Plaza downtown. Since then, that business alone has grown to eight locations with another 20 on tap to open in 2019, according to the company’s website. ![]() That’s when Stumpy’s Hatchet House opened its doors in Eatontown, New Jersey. “Anything that we make basically goes back into here.”Īlthough popular in Canada for years, indoor axe-throwing businesses were nonexistent in the U.S. “It was really bare bones,” she says of the 12,000-square-foot space, formerly the headquarters for Springfield-based Kuat Innovations LLC. They’ve since invested another $60,000 on additional furniture, televisions, other game options and a growing assortment of merchandise. Startup costs were around $30,000, Kacey says. “I would rather be busy, especially while he’s gone,” she says, adding her husband’s contracting work has kept the couple from having to take out any business loans. In addition, she’s also a licensed life and health insurance agent, helping out at her father Greg Clanton’s insurance agency, GD Clanton & Associates LLC. Kacey tackles emails, social media and financials while her husband’s away. In the fall, the business started adding staff and currently employs seven. Two months later, Tom left for a rotation and didn’t return until October. “That’s been a chunk of our business – eight months of me by myself,” Kacey says of the first year in operation. On his third rotation with the company, Kacey says he’s set to return in June. ![]() government contract work operating drones for Tampa, Florida-based OWT Global LLC. Tom is a retired 20-year veteran of the U.S. But that’s a goal she won’t pursue until her husband is back in the country. Limited food and drink options are available, but the owners aim to change that soon.Ĭurrently a BYOB – bring your own booze – establishment that does not allow hard liquor, Kacey says they’re hoping to add food and alcohol sales this summer. League memberships are also available, and participants must be at least 13 years old. The beginner’s rate is $25 for two hours, while returning throwers are charged $20 per hour. “It’s bringing something different to the entertainment industry,” Kacey Jennings says. Those taking a break from the axe throwing, or who are simply spectating, can play an assortment of other games, such as cornhole and oversized versions of checkers, Jenga and Connect Four. That’s followed by games complete with a winner’s trophy. Here’s the concept: For set hourly rates, customers throw axes at bull’s-eyes, with first-timers getting a two-hour session that includes one-on-one instructions on technique. He always has ideas and this one just stuck,” she says of the couple’s indoor axe-throwing business, TommyHawks Axe House, 1631 W. Turning a hobby of building custom tomahawks into a business plan isn’t a normal path.īut Tom Jennings doesn’t follow most normal paths, says wife Kacey Jennings. ![]()
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