Axe throwing lanes at Woodchucks. Image: Cherise Letson/Huddle Today
The city centre will soon have a place where they can get together with friends, enjoy a few drinks – and throw axes at the wall.
One-twenty-five Prince William Street will soon be the home of Woodchucks Axe Throwing, an axe-throwing establishment and bar that owners and childhood friends Andrew Beale and Jordan Delaney hope will provide something new to do in the city’s uptown.
The idea to open the business came after Delaney went to an axe-throwing bar on a trip to Halifax.
“We went axe throwing and as soon as I came back, I told the Beale that this is something Saint John could use and we just kind of went with it,” says Delaney. “Literally the next morning we started making a business plan and everything kind of came together after that.”
Groups (at least four people is recommended) can book a lane for either hour-and-a-half timeslots or two-and-a-half-hour timeslots at $27.95 and $37.95 per person, respectively. Each group gets an axe-throwing coach who will go over safety procedures and help get them started and help you improve your throwing throughout your booking. Woodchucks will also host axe throwing leagues.
“Once you’re finished your booking, you can hang out in the rest of our space,” says Beale.
Woodchuck’s bar and lounge area will be stocked with all New Brunswick craft-beer and alcohol. There is also a loft-style lounge area that can be rented out for large groups and parties. The bar and lounge are open for anyone, no axe throwing required.
“We want to it be a place someone can come any night of the week and hang out, chat and watch the activity,” says Beale. “Maybe you’re not confident enough to throw an axe, but once you here, you see how it works. maybe you’ll come back another time or even later that night.”
Once the axes go away later in the night, they will have corn hole set up, more commonly known as bean bag toss.
“It’s a friendly competitive game to play you can play with your friends and that will allow us to stay open later at night,” says Beale.
Woodchucks will also host live music.
“We’re setting up initially to start with acoustic sets. That should compliment our space,” says Beale. “It’s quite noisy when axes are being thrown, so we’re going to start with the smaller sets and see how the business grows.”
Woodchucks is on track to open this Tuesday. Delaney says they hope to become a popular spot for both locals and tourists alike.
“It’s an event. It’s not just going to a bar to drink, you can throw axes,” says he says. “We’re really going to try to get involved with the tourist community and parties. It’s a great activity for different groups, work events, Christmas parties, team bonding events. It’s just something different to bring to uptown.”
A version of this story was published in Huddle, an online business news publication based in Saint John. Huddle is an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
