‘Growing’ into a new office location, company president
‘Walking the walk’ for more than a decade
March 5, 2024
FOND DU LAC — After learning to throw axes — and becoming quite proficient at it — TJ Schultz said he decided it was time to go out on his own.
“Our first day in business was Oct. 1, 2022, but the story of how Fondy Axe Company got its start happened a few years before that,” Schultz said. “In 2020, I was asked to try the axe-throwing place in Oshkosh — I had never done it before, but I had lots of fun.”
From there, Schultz said he eventually joined a rec league and “got quite good quickly.”
“I realized there were tournaments you could do across the county, so we started traveling,” he said. “We represented the Oshkosh establishment we had been going to. I had done quite well in some of the tournaments and realized Fond du Lac was one of the bigger cities in the state that didn’t have an axe-throwing venue.”
For now, Schultz, 31, said Fondy Axe, located at 25A N. Main St., is the only venue of its kind in the city.
“We also do leagues — they’ve been popular,” he said. “I’ve been surprised at how well they’ve gone over. In the Oshkosh league- I think the biggest numbers we saw there were 12-15 people. In our first season at Fondy Axe, we had 35-40 people sign up. Right now, we’re around 30-35 per season. It’s become a community, and everyone is supportive. Our league is weekly and runs year-round. There’s usually about a month between each season.”
According to Fondy Axe’s website (fondyaxeco.com), leagues are $15 per week for your first league and $10 per week for each additional league, with leagues running eight weeks.
Six different leagues are offered based on ability.
Inside the venue, Fondy Axe has ten targets, including two situated in a private party room.
Schultz said the establishment offers walk-in appointments and reservations, as well as full-facility rentals for larger groups.
Fondy Axe, he said, is perfect for all occasions, including birthdays, anniversaries, bachelor/bachelorette parties, date nights, corporate parties and team-building events.
“Whether you’ve never thrown before or are a seasoned veteran, give us a try,” he said.
Another option
Wanting to offer more axe-throwing options, Schultz said Fondy Axe decided to add a mobile unit.
“We finished the unit last fall,” he said. “We haven’t had a ton of time to use that yet, but we are getting interest for spring and summer events. Summer for axe-throwing venues is typically slower — there are so many other options for people, so traffic inside the building will be a bit less.”
Fondy Axe Company, located at 25A N. Main St. in Fond du Lac, has a mobile unit that can be delivered to parties and other events. Photo Courtesy of Fondy Axe Company
Schultz said the mobile unit is a way to offer axe throwing outside in the nice weather.
“We can go to private event parties, birthday parties, class reunions, corporate events, fundraisers, golf outings — we can go anywhere we can park it,” he said. “We did some events last fall and put it in a parade as well.”
The fully enclosed trailer, Schultz said, offers two throwing targets and open views for spectators to watch.
The mobile unit, he said, uses the same axes and target distances that can be found at the brick-and-mortar location.
“Our mobile throwing is fully insured and includes two axe coaches to cover safety and throwing techniques,” he said. “The coaches can even help facilitate games or a tournament for your group.”
For prices, visit the website.
Expansion
Wanting to give patrons more room and options, Schultz said Fondy Axe is currently under an expansion project.
“It’s been something in the back of our minds since opening up,” he said. “With our current setup, we’ve been somewhat limited on space. When we opened Fondy Axe, we wanted to be on Main Street, if possible. The building we found was a good find, but it was one of the only buildings available on Main Street. It was big enough for what we wanted to do, but it doesn’t have a lot of extra room.”
As it turns out, Schultz said, this past winter, the space next door to Fondy Axe became available.
“That space next to us is owned by the same owner who owns our space, so he was fine with us expanding into the other space,” he said.
Schultz said back in the day, the two spaces used to be connected.
“When they separated the spaces, they walled them off,” he said. “There’s an eight-foot wide opening between two brick walls where all we have to do is tear some drywall down and we’ll be connected again. I’ve been working on it nonstop for the past few months, so it should be done sometime in early April.”
Schultz said Fondy Axe currently has a liquor license and offers craft beer, but no hard liquor.
“As for food, currently, we only offer snacks, such as chips and candy bars,” he said. “With the new space, we’ll keep the same liquor license for the bar area and offer pizzas and anything else we can fit in the ovens. Right now, we allow people to carry in food or order in, but it’ll be nice to have another option for patrons.”
The new space will also offer pool tables, dart boards and other games, Schultz said.
“People can spread out and enjoy more space,” he said.
For more information, find Fondy Axe Company on Facebook.
