Husband And Wife Open Axe Throwing Business In Plainfield

PLAINFIELD, IL — Tracy Musick went to a work Christmas party in downtown Chicago last year, where she visited her first axe throwing facility. The Joliet resident loved the experience so much, she decided to open a similar business closer to home.

"It was a lot of fun," Tracy said. "We loved it. We thought, 'We can open a place like this.'"

Tracy and her husband, Dale, in late August opened Axe Factor Throwing at 13717 S. Rte 30 in Plainfield. Their hope is to offer another entertainment option and party venue in town, while exposing more people to the growing popularity of recreational axe throwing.

Tracy and Dale visited numerous axe throwing businesses in the area to get ideas for their business. The 6,000-square-foot business includes eight axe throwing lanes. Behind the lanes is a bar with chairs and stools, and additional seating is behind the bar. Televisions are mounted on top of each lane, a feature not common in other axe-throwing businesses, Tracy said.

"We wanted to make it more of a hangout place, and give people something to do," Tracy said.

Axe Factor also has a rentable party room. The business has board games available, as well as snacks and drinks. Patrons can bring in their own food and drink, except for alcohol. Alcohol was not allowed, with the Village of Plainfield nixing the idea, Tracy said.

The closest axe throwing businesses to Plainfield are in Aurora or Mokena, Tracy said. The husband and wife wanted their first business venture to be close to home. Axe throwing facilities, which offer a more hardcore, and, some say, more stress-reducing alternative to games like darts, are proliferating across Chicagoland and the rest of the country.

"We thought it would be a great draw for the area," she said.

Axe Factor Throwing is open at 13717 S. Rte 30 Wednesday-Sunday. The business is open from 4-10 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon to midnight on Fridays, 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays. For more information on the business, click here.