Kitsap's initial axe-throwing venue set to open in Port Orchard
PORT ORCHARD — Looking for a new place to host a birthday party, a corporate event, or a date night? One that includes axes, of course.
The first axe-throwing establishment on the Kitsap Peninsula will open very soon to accommodate the need for social events that can include slinging a heavy sharp object at the wall, according to co-owner and managing member of PenAxe, Greg Randall of Port Orchard.
Located on the second floor of Town Square Mall in Port Orchard is PexAxe, an axe-throwing venue that will provide beers and snacks. The spot is made up of 14 axe-throwing lanes with targets: 11 for individuals and 3 for group activities, and some spaces for social gatherings and other entertainment.
Still under construction, PenAxe is tentatively scheduled to open this coming weekend, Randall said.
Greg Randall is joined by his wife, Julie as the principal owner and Port Orchard residents who wanted to bring the axe-throwing trend to Kitsap, Randall said.
"A chance to give them (customers) something different and unique that is very enjoyable, that is also very social," Randall said of his goal. "You can come out at a date night, (with) friends, or it's like hey, I've got a little bit of time. I want to go to practice, so next time we get together with our friends. I'm gonna be better. I'm gonna beat my friends."
The idea was born three years ago when the Randalls visited friends in Wenatchee. A birthday dinner for Julie Randall was followed by a surprise: axe throwing. They had a great time and Greg started to think about how to offer it in his hometown.
The global pandemic slowed everything down and postponed Randall's plan. But when he heard that new owners of the Town Square Mall were looking to improve the property better and revive some social activity there, he reached out to propose his idea.
The mall at SE Mile Hill Drive is home to Grocery Outlet, Goodwill and Ace Hardware. Renovation of the mall began in April 2022.
More: New owners begin facelift of Port Orchard's Town Square Mall
PenAxe may not just be an axe-throwing venue, as the team is mapping bigger for the location. By early next year, they are planning to expand the area to add more lanes for axe throwing and knife throwing — and set up a restaurant and a full bar.
Reservations will be required once PenAxe opens, by calling 360-842-8007 to book an appointment. PenAxe's opening hours will be Tuesday to Thursday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday and Monday will be closed.
The price for using an individual lane per person per 75 minutes would be $30. Other prices for groups are still being discussed, Randall said.
For security reasons, only people who are 14 and above and demonstrate the ability to safely throw the axe would be allowed to do so. Customers will be given a safety briefing and proper techniques for throwing axes once they're checked in. During the time the customers are throwing axes, staff would provide a level of safety oversight and offer tips to improve their throwing.
"We want to make sure that everybody is safe, so there's a fairly continuous amount of monitoring the activity that's going on," Randall said. "So if we see somebody that's acting in an unsafe manner, we're going to engage that person and say, Okay, that's not the safest way to do that, and this is how we need to do it."
Reporter Peiyu Lin covers the military and South Kitsap for the Kitsap Sun. She can be reached at pei-yu.lin@kitsapsun.com or on Twitter @peiyulintw.
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This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: PenAxe bringing axe throwing to Kitsap County, Port Orchard
