Local ax-throwing venue celebrating 5 years of business - East Idaho News
BIZ BUZZ

Local ax-throwing venue celebrating 5 years of business

  Published at  | Updated at
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready ...
Jen McGarry, center, and her team at On Target Axe-Throwing at 250 South Woodruff Avenue in Idaho Falls. Asst. Manager Bradford Goodwillie, left, and Collin Adams, right, are preparing for a world axe-throwing tournament in Oklahoma. Watch them practice in the video above. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.

BIZ BUZZ

IDAHO FALLS

Popular ax-throwing venue celebrating 5th anniversary in Idaho Falls

axe throwing venue pic
The storefront for On Target Axe Throwing in Idaho Falls | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

IDAHO FALLS – Jen McGarry never thought her business would be around this long.

The Idaho Falls woman started working part-time as the manager of On Target Axe Throwing when it launched in 2019 at 250 South Woodruff Avenue in Idaho Falls. She recently became the new owner and is gearing up for the company’s five-year anniversary.

Despite the turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic during its formative years, McGarry tells EastIdahoNews.com the business is thriving. She’s thrilled to have a service that’s kept customers coming back.

“It’s picked up every single year,” McGarry says.

The business offers 13 targets and can accommodate up to 65 people at a time who want to throw hatchets, axes, knives and other sharp objects. Customers come from out of state frequently.

“I just had a group (last week) from Montana. They saw us online and decided to come down to check it out,” says McGarry.

She attributes the popularity of ax-throwing to the fact that it’s something people do together that involves friendly competition.

Two employees are participating in the World Axe and Knife Throwing Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma, next month. Meet them and watch them practice in the video above.

To celebrate the 5-year milestone, McGarry is planning an open house-style event at the end of April with food trucks outside the venue where people can come and have fun.

McGarry learned about On Target after coming with a group of friends shortly after it opened. She didn’t enjoy the experience because she wasn’t good at it. On her way out, the owner asked if she was looking for a job.

She wasn’t at the time but later decided to try it.

She’s learned a thing or two in the last five years, and now it’s an activity she enjoys five days a week.

McGarry says she’d love to expand in a bigger location so she can accommodate more people.

“Sixty-five is a big group, but I’d love to host 100. The big groups are what we love the most,” she says.

On Target Axe Throwing is open Monday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m. with a midnight closing time on Friday. Saturday hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

Take your business to the next level and win up to $5,000 from Frontier Credit Union

Family Dollar and Dollar Tree will close 1,000 stores

East Idaho Fly Tying/Fly Fishing Expo returning to Mountain America Center

Horse expert shows crowd at weekend expo how to connect with wild mustang

If you have a Biz Buzz item you want to share, send it to rett@eastidahonews.com. Remember to use “Biz Buzz” in the subject line. Also, don't forget to sign up for the free Biz Buzz email newsletter.

SUBMIT A CORRECTION