In The Axe to celebrate first anniversary

FOSTORIA —No one ever said that starting and maintaining a small business is easy. Brent Hoerig can attest to that, having done so twice in recent years. But through the long hours, the trial and error and many other encounters, Hoerig has made a go of In The Axe at 210 S. Main St., in Fostoria. And the establishment for competitive or recreational axe throwing, other physical activities and just plain gathering with friends for a few libations on Thursday will celebrate its first anniversary in downtown Fostoria with an open-to-the-public 4:30 p.m., ceremony to be hosted by the Fostoria Area Chamber of Commerce and the Seneca Regional Chamber of Commerce. Donations made at the event will go to the Seneca County Honor Bus, which periodically provides U.S. military veterans with all-expense-paid weekend trips to Washington, D.C. "We're, of course, excited to help host the anniversary for Brent's one year," said Jocelyn Reinhart, director of the Fostoria chamber. "He's been a great addition to our small-business sector in general. He's been a great supporter of everything we do here at the chamber and on the economic development side. We're thankful to have him in our corner and our goal is to support him." Hoerig opened In the Axe not long after starting his woodworking business, Perfectly Repurposed. Both of his businesses melded into whipping the axe-throwing facility into shape. The current, mostly complete look of the interior developed through the early stages of operating the business, which is open from 5 to 10 p.m., on Thursdays and Fridays and from 2 to 10 p.m., on Saturdays. Private parties on other days may be arranged. Hoerig said it's been helpful to have his wife, Melissa, help run the business while their 10-year-old sons, Van and Brayden, and 9-year-old daughter, Sky, enjoy the available activities. Bringing others into the building has had its challenges, but the circumstances have improved over time, Hoerig said. "It's been a rollercoaster—up and down, a lot of highs and lows," he said. "We've learned a lot. We've become a lot more efficient. But, overall, it's been going great. We've had a lot of good momentum with what we're doing. "The biggest struggle has been getting the word out. Now, we're getting more people referring people, more parties coming in, more people having fun, a lot of recurring customers. So, it's going a lot better." Hoerig said that just in its first year, the business, which is affiliated with the International Axe Throwing Federation, has hosted tournaments involving many top-tier throwers and drawn both local residents and those who have made it a destination spot. "What we've found is, when people come for the first time, they're coming back," he said. "We have a lot of repeat customers and a really good group of about 20 to 24 regulars who do the league and then they're here every couple of weeks and bringing friends. That's been huge. "And, then with kind of a market area, we have a lot of people from outside Fostoria come in — Tiffin, Seneca County, a lot of people from, like, the Lakota (school) district, 10 miles away from us. We're getting a lot more people coming in now that they've learned that we're here. And that's been a huge help." All throwers have a trained "axe master" available for guidance in learning the sport or improving. Hoerig encourages people to come simply to socialize while perhaps sitting at the bar with a large-screen TV front and center above them and a libation in front of them. More TVs will be installed above the bar, Hoerig said. He said shuffleboard is available at no cost on the building's second level. There's also a "rage room," which Hoerig said is used "quite a bit." Visitors rent a bucket of rocks and may pelt a variety of donated items, including bottles and televisions. "Teenage girls seem to be our best market — they get their anger out and smash stuff," he said. "But it's nice because it's only five bucks for a bucket of rocks. If you come in here with a family of five, it may be a hundred bucks (to throw axes). So, instead, you get a bucket or two and only spend 10 or 25 bucks and still have fun and not commit to that big of a purchase and stuff like that. So, it works really, really great. Especially for kids, who may not be able to throw that well, they focus for an hour, so it's kind of nice for that." Upcoming, Hoerig said, is opening In The Axe into the alley along the south side of the building to host various activities. "There's going to be some lights," he said. "There will be cornhole. There will be (other) games. That's kind of a big thing for us this year." More information is available online at www.intheaxe.com.