GREENSBORO, N.C. — A pair of Greensboro natives brought axe-throwing to the Triad, and they say it’s here to stay. 

Chase Strange first started building an axe-throwing trailer in his driveway in early 2019. There were only a few in the world, which inspired Strange to make his own.

“There was only two in Canada, and there was actually one in the United Kingdom and I was the first one in the United States to ever build one, so this is the first one ever,” Strange said. 

Strange started his own business, The Flying Hatchet, a mobile axe-throwing business in late 2019. He hired Emily Baker as an assistant. 

“I had never really met young people in Greensboro that were actually trying to start their own businesses, and that mindset really inspired me,” Baker said. 

When the pandemic hit in early 2020, Strange was forced to take a step back from the business. In February 2021, Strange suggested a change in management. He passed the reigns to Baker, who is now the chief of operations for The Flying Hatchet. Baker handles everything from client contact to hiring and scheduling.

“He was like ‘I trust you 100%, I think you have all the capabilities to do this job of managing this business and all the behind the scenes operations, why don’t you just try it?' That was really scary for me, because I’m very young. I’m 21,” Baker said. 

Baker didn’t think she would step into this role so young, but she credits her parents’ entrepreneurial experience for encouraging her.

She has also fought to keep axe-throwing at the center of a new socially-distanced world. She calls it a social renaissance. 

“The way I look at it now is kind of the way I look at pool or darts or bowling, it’s really just a vehicle for you to get out of your element and do something different and actually interact with people. Because we were all cooped up last year, it’s almost like a renaissance of all those social activities that we’re really enjoying,” Baker said. 

This year, Baker and Strange have seen an uptick in business. Since The Flying Hatchet is mobile, they can meet their clients almost anywhere. 

The Flying Hatchet operates from March through November. For more information, click here.