ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — After seven years of business, an indoor axe-throwing venue in Asheville is officially shutting its doors at the end of March.
The decision to close Axeville Axe Throwing came after years of dealing with the effects of an economic downturn, according to owner Glenn Merchant.
When he moved to Asheville, he set out to create a business that was all about fun—with a playful twist. In 2019, that vision became a reality when he opened Axeville.
Merchant said that the idea was for people to come in and learn the silly but fun skill of how to throw an axe. While he knew nothing about axe-throwing prior, Merchant said he loved the journey.
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“Whether it’s bachelorette parties, bachelor, corporate events, birthdays, I heard a lot of really interesting stories and met a lot of wonderful people,” he said.
Merchant said business started to shift a few years ago. He compared it to a new car smell leaving; for years, axe-throwing was a wild idea, but then the craze of it started to wear off.
“There was a slowdown from that perspective,” he said. “I think there was kind of a general economic slowdown about two years ago.”
MARCH 2, 2026 – A sign announcing the closure of Axeville Axe Throwing in Asheville, N.C. (Photo: WLOS Staff)
Merchant said that with more people moving to Asheville and housing becoming scarcer, people were struggling more.
“You would hear on Facebook groups that people didn’t have quite as much spending money as they used to, money didn’t go as far as it used to, and that’s when we started noticing a little bit of a decline trend,” he said.
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After Hurricane Helene, Merchant said that they had a bit of a bounce back, but it unfortunately did not continue long-term. Going from 19 employees to just two, Merchant and his partner Amy spend every day that they’re open at Axeville.
Merchant said it hasn’t quite hit him yet that the end is near. While he’s unsure of what the next chapter looks like, he said he’s excited for what’s ahead and thankful for the years he had running Axeville.
“Looking forward to having people come in, love to see people who have been here before so we can say goodbye, swap some stories, hoist a beer. It’s going to be a fun, challenging, fast-paced last three weeks,” he said.
The final day of operation for Axeville Axe Throwing, located at 99 New Leicester Hwy, will be Sunday, March 22.
