Lancaster Axes brings unique entertainment to downtown area

Logan Weaver, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
·2 min read

LANCASTER — A new entertainment venue in downtown Lancaster hopes to attract customers from across the region.

Lancaster Axes, an axe-throwing business on N. Columbus Street, opened in December with a ribbon-cutting planned in the coming weeks.

Paula Hines prepares to throw an ax at Lancaster Axes, located on N. Columbus Street.
Paula Hines prepares to throw an ax at Lancaster Axes, located on N. Columbus Street.

Owner Anna Ruff and her team renovated the former Big Ideas studio on N. Columbus Street to include six throwing lanes and an area for seating. The business has also received a liquor license with plans to utilize it still being finalized.

Ruff said the idea came up while discussing ideas for new business with members of the downtown community.

"There was nothing like this in the area," Ruff said. "We talked about how do we keep people in downtown. We have lots of restaurants and lots of good food options, but how do we bring entertainment here so that people don't have to travel and go all the way to Columbus? So that was our mindset."

After visiting other axe-throwing venues in the region, Ruff said she found that larger axes were difficult for her to throw, and that would sometimes ruin her experience. .

"I was getting frustrated because you pay all this money, and you're like 'this is not for me,'" she said. "So we were experimenting with all kinds of axes. At least people won't get discouraged and think it's not for them."

Ruff knew that might be an issue for others as well. To solve the problem, Ruff has made several smaller axes available at Lancaster Axes so that anyone can join in on the fun.

Ruff said the size of the lanes, targets, and scoring are based on guidelines set by the World Axe Throwing League. She hopes to start local-axe-throwing leagues locally to bring in more customers, as well as host events such as bachelorette parties and employee bonding activities.

Currently, Lancaster Axes is open seven days a week, with Sunday through Wednesday for party reservations, and Mondays for parties and leagues. Weekend hours are Thursdays 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; and Saturdays Noon to 10 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Lancaster Axes brings unique entertainment downtown