By Sherri Blevins
When someone mentioned ax-throwing, the first thing that came to my mind was, duck! I was so behind the times. Since 2006, ax-throwing as a competitive sport has evolved into an international event with competitions in various countries. What does that have to do with DeKalb County? DeKalb County now has its arena for individuals and families to get involved in the ax-throwing phenomena. Green Axes is opened for business.
On Wednesday, March 10, 2021, David Martin Sr., David Martin Jr., and Haley Martin cut the official ribbon for Green Axes celebrating the start of their new business and the arrival of ax-throwing to Fort Payne. The Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce sponsored the ribbon-cutting celebration. During the event, the older of the two Martin boys, David Sr., credited his daughter-in-law Haley with being the inspiration for the business. David Jr. and Haley had visited other ax-throwing establishments and fell in love with the sport. They began to dream about opening their own establishment and took the idea to David Sr. They wanted to create a venue where families and other groups could enjoy the sport in a safe, friendly environment.
David Sr. told the journey of finding the perfect location. He stated, “When we started looking for a location, we were looking at every kind of building. I contacted a good friend of mine from way back, Lynn Brewer, about renting a room in the back of the Old Mill. Dr. Brewer didn’t want to do that, but Lynn told me about an old building in downtown Fort Payne. As soon as we walked in, the three of us said, ‘Wow! This is exactly what we are looking for.’ The rest is kind of history.” The building is located at 112 Gault Ave North in Fort Payne.
Martin added, “We wanted to do something where it was entertainment for ages ten until you are too old to swing an ax.” He said that about two weeks ago, an older couple came in to give it a try. After about ten minutes, the 78-year-old husband was sticking the ax into the target. His wife was watching him with a big grin on her face. Martin commented, “I told David and Haley, “That’s really what makes me feel good.”
Martin described Haley as the brains behind the business end and stated that he and his son had completed the woodwork needed to create the separate target areas. They left the walls unpainted to add to the rustic look of the place. Martin then explained the origin of the name, Green Axes. The floor color of the building was green, and they all liked the color, so they chose Green Axes.
David Martin Jr. stated, “We are excited to be able to do this in our home community. It is something I feel like Fort Payne has needed. It is a good community activity. People can come from Rainsville, Fort Payne, and surrounding cities and have a good time in a good family atmosphere. We intend on keeping it that way. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation in keeping it that way.”
David Sr. added one final comment, “The Lord has blessed us with a lot of business. Most of the booking is online, and we have had more people booking this for birthday and company parties. We are looking at expanding upstairs. There is a whole beautiful section upstairs that we are going to develop for parties. Hopefully, it will be ready in a few weeks. Also, we do not serve alcohol. We have no problem with businesses that do that because it is a choice. I have been a pastor for fifty years, and I just couldn’t put my name on something that we did that with.”
Green Axes is opened Thursdays 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm, Fridays 3:00 pm – 11:00 pm, Saturdays 2:00 – 11:00 pm, and Sundays 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Call 256-997-6912 for reservations.