Live in Davidson County and want to try your hand at axe throwing? Well, plan to travel out of town. Want to play cornhole? You better own some cornhole boards or seek out one of the few local tournaments that occur annually. Want to roller skate? Again, be prepared to travel out of town. Want to do all three of these activities and more in one location? Not even sure that exists in North Carolina.
But hold on. Davidson County friends and business partners Will Yarborough and Dennis Strange are about to make this possible, opening a 24,000 square foot family entertainment complex in Lexington. They are about to open two businesses in the former Forum gym location on Talbert Boulevard that will give Davidson County families and friends a place to play together and hang out.
Axehole is the first business they will open on the left side of the former gym building in Davidson Plaza. It will have 20-22 lanes for axe throwing, five to six pool tables, eight to 10 cornhole areas and a beverage bar to purchase snacks, sodas, beer and wine. The business partners said they hope to have Axehole opened by the end of September or early October,
On the right side of the building, the duo plans to open Friction Skating Rink about three months after Axehole opens. It will also include arcade games. In addition, there will be private party rooms on both sides.
“This is where our heart is,” Strange said of his hometown. “We both grew up here. We feel like this is something Lexington needs. We have plenty of restaurants and bars. We want to bring to Lexington a place where families and friends can come for a night of entertainment and keep them and their money here in Davidson County.”
In addition, the pair is trying to source locally as many services and products as they can for their new businesses. For example, Yarborough said they are using Bauer Insurance for coverage and Diamondback Industrictries for the metal fabrication needed to build the axe throwing lane walls.
“We want to keep people and business local,” Yarborough said. “That’s money not going to Rowan and Forsyth counties.”
Strange and Yarborough met at Lexington Senior High School and have been friends for more than 30 years. Yarborough attended Lexington, Central Davidson and Sheets Memorial Christian School before graduating from North Davidson High.Â
As teens, they have memories of the limited entertainment options the county offered, both of which are no longer options in Davidson County. They grew up going to Anchor Skating Rink, which closed in 2019. They also cruised Main Street in downtown Lexington and then parked and hung out with friends in the parking lot at Davidson Plaza, where their Axehole and Friction Skating Rink will be located. In 1988, the Lexington City Council passed an ordinance banning cruising. There was also a short-lived teen club called Kebo’s in the late 1980s or early 1990s.
“That parking lot is nostalgic to us,” Yarborough said of Davidson Plaza. “Kmart was there then.”
“That’s where we ended every night after cruising,” added Strange.
Yarborough, who is a marketing and event manager for a Winston-Salem company, said he has visited axe-throwing venues across the country and loved the experience.
Initially, he and Strange, who is a construction company superintendent, were going to open an axe-throwing venue and bar in the same shopping center, but on the other end where the old Salvation Army Thrift store used to be located and now a new Bargains By the Bin store. (come back to www.the-dispatch.com Thursday morning for a story about this new store). However, an investment partner backed out as the COVID-19 pandemic began. The two backed up and enlarged their business plan to include more entertainment options in a larger location.
In addition, the business partners said they hope to have different, local food trucks at the business nightly. Summer drop-off camps are planned, as well, for children. For $20, parents can drop off their children in the morning. Educational activities will be offered in the morning and later a movie. The children will also be able to skate and do other activities. There may also be an after-school drop-off camp with similar activities.
To encourage good grades. school-aged children will be able to bring in their report cards for free skating or skate rental for straight As or As and Bs.
“The skating rink side could also host dance classes on slow nights or other times,” Strange said.
Yarborough noted that some people are surprised and express concerns about safety when they hear he is opening an entertainment venue for axe-throwing.
“We hear it all the time, ‘Axe throwing! What could go wrong?’,” he said. His research showed that there have been only two incidents with injuries at axe-throwing venues. One injury, he said involved a person who was testing the sharpness of the axe with their finger and received a bad cut when it was proved to be very sharp. The second incident involved a woman who dropped an axe on her foot while wearing flip flops.
“There should probably have been a rule that you can’t wear open-toe shoes while taking part in axe-throwing,” he said. “….It really is a safe, fun, activity. The lanes are blocked off from one another. There are lots of safety features in place.”
“Axe throwing is not new,” Strange added. “Our research showed it is taking over as the No. 1 thing tp do on date night.”
The hours of operation will be 4.-10 or 11 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 1-9 p.m.Sundays. Axehole and Friction Skating Rink’s address is 280 N. Talbert Blvd. Keep up with new developments for the businesses on its Facebook page. The website — www.axeholefriction.com — is still under development but will be working in a few weeks.
– Jill Doss-Raines is The Dispatch trending topics and personality profiles senior reporter and is always looking for tips about businesses and entertainment events, secret and new menu items, and interesting people in Davidson County. Contact me at jill.doss-raines@the-dispatch.com and subscribe to us at the-dispatch.com.
