Axe-throwing venue brings more variety to downtown Charlotte nightlife

In 2024, downtown Charlotte became the first social district in Eaton County, allowing visitors to carry drinks outside of bars. But some found the “social” element lacking.

“One of the main complaints was, ‘Yeah, okay, I’ve got a drink, but there’s nothing to do,’” resident John Laupp said.

Laupp, who owns the woodworking studio and gallery As the Wood Turns, and Capri Brown-Dickson, who runs the pet salon The Groomery, wanted to help fix that. Laupp was by no means a pro when he proposed they open an axe-throwing venue, but he’d tried it before and had a blast, and he knew someone had to bring more entertainment to the downtown area.

“No one else was doing it,” he said.

Vikings Edge opened Friday (Feb. 27), bringing axe throwing to Charlotte for the first time. Patrons can rent lanes for $20 per person, per hour, and play a variety of games that are projected onto a wooden wall, such as target practice, Connect Four or Battleship.

Both already busy with their own businesses, Laupp and Brown-Dickson felt inspired to pile on more work so locals and visitors could try something new.

“We wanted to do something different, something Charlotte hasn’t seen before,” Laupp said. “We have a social district here, and we started talking about things to do outside of just walking around.”

Transforming the former Reflections Boutique into an axe-throwing venue took Laupp, Brown-Dickson and her husband about two months. Laupp’s experience with woodworking helped — unpainted wood panels line nearly all the walls, perfect for catching a stray axe.

“The vision of this, when we were first putting it together, was to be a little different than other traditional axe-throwing venues. We wanted it to be really nice, not only on the outside of the lanes, but inside,” Laupp said. “Someplace you’d be willing to bring a date to and then go back multiple times.”

Beginners sign a waiver before receiving some coaching. When they’ve got the technique down, the timer starts.

The coaching begins with watching a customer throw their first axe, Laupp said. They’re guided from there until they can hit the target wall.

Laupp said he hopes Vikings Edge will help keep people in downtown Charlotte on their nights out. It’s open until 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, making it a good complement to an outing at a restaurant or bar.

“We wanted something, in addition to our restaurant and bars, that would keep people downtown, make them excited about being here,” he said. “A lot of businesses here, unfortunately, close at 5 or 6. Well, that’ll be the time we’re opening.”