Axe-throwing lounge opens Thunder Bay location
Northern Axperts already has three other northern Ontario locations
Thunder Bay, Ont. is now home to an axe-throwing lounge.
Northern Axperts, located inside The Royalton bar, is exactly what it sounds like, said owner Kelsey Cutinello.
"You come inside to a lounge-like atmosphere, and you throw hatchets at a target on the wall," she said, adding that it's a growing entertainment trend that's not as strange as it might sound.
"I guess when pool or darts started, people were asking 'what the heck is this?' but it's basically the same kind of thing. You compete against your friends, we have all kinds of leagues, there's a scoring system."
There's even a National Axe Throwing Federation, she said, of which Northern Axperts is a member.
The opening of the Thunder Bay location brings the number of Northern Axperts locations to four. The first location opened in Sudbury in March of last year, said Cutinello. North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie branches followed.
Before opening the first location, Cutinello said she was familiar with the sport through a friend in Toronto who competes in axe-throwing. It seemed like a great fit for northern Ontario, she said.
"Especially since lumberjacking just feels more appropriate up here than in inner city Toronto."
All four of the Northern Axperts businesses are located inside bars, she said, and questions about safety are common.
"It's always the question we get asked the most," she said.
Trained coaches are on site at all times when groups are playing the sport, she said. "We put our coaches through a pretty rigorous training program. They also have to have their first aid in case anything does happen. They also have their smart serve ... essentially they're able to identify the signs of intoxication."
Coaches and staff at the bars are also supposed to "make sure that we're promoting the concept of really celebrating after the game with drinks rather than promoting drinking before the game."
In the run up to the grand opening in Thunder Bay, Cutinello said there's been a lot of interest.
"It was even crazier than our Sudbury response, which is our busiest lounge. So people are really excited to get in there," she said, noting that customers must book spots in advance.