44 | July/August 2019
F E A T U R E
ON THE
CUTTING EDGE
Axe-throwing
businesses find
success
I
t started with a trip to Little Caesar's Pizza.
Allison Blank went to the chain restaurant on
Raeford Road in January to get food for her
family and noticed a sign across the street for
Axes & Armor. A little more than a week later, she
brought her husband, Travis, to the axe-throwing
business for his birthday. It was a life-changing event.
Travis was all in aer his first throw. He built his
own target in their backyard. He throws 100-200
times a day and has won three tournaments
Allison loves it too. e couple visit Axes & Armor
at least once a week. It's their version of "date night."
"It stuck," Travis said about his first time throwing
an axe on that first night at Axes & Armor. "at's
what my quote is: 'It stuck,'"
Neither Travis, who has served in the U.S. Army
for 17 years, nor Allison, a preschool teacher's
assistant, had ever considered the sport as something
they might enjoy. Now they're happy to share their
passion for it with others.
"It's entertaining knowing that you're hurling
metal at something and destroying it," Travis said.
"It's de-stressing and I deal with a lot of stress every
day. It's called a wife, three kids and a job. I listed that
in order of least stressful to most stressful."
Allison tilted her head back and smiled as her
husband then laughed.
"Aer he throws, his body language changes a
BY ALICIA BANKS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
MATTHEW WONDERLY
