A new ax-ent to the Belknap Mall

BELMONT — Nick Brough and Nick Gilman always knew they would go into business together someday — they just needed the right idea. An idea with an edge to it.

“We thought of everything,” Brough said. “At first the idea was a sandwich and frappe shop, but we’ve also thought of doing a skate park, an indoor trampoline park.” It was after a night at an axe-throwing venue in Manchester that the pair realized they had found the perfect venture for their partnership: bringing the sport to the Lakes Region. 

“In that moment we knew: ‘that’s it, we’ve gotta do that,’” Gilman said.

Climaxe, set to open early this summer and located at the Belknap Mall next to Jo-Ann Fabrics, will be a casual and inclusive axe-throwing venue. It will not feature a bar and will put the sport of axe-throwing at the forefront of its mission. The pair admit that the idea of throwing axes in one’s leisure time can sound intimidating, but they emphasize that everyone of all experiences, ages, and physical abilities are encouraged to try out the sport. “It’s contagious,” Brough said.

Axe-throwing, like archery or darts, is a target-based, accuracy-focused sport. Regulation throwing axes are hatchets weighing three pounds with four-inch blades and handles between twelve and nineteen inches in length, according to the website for the World Axe-Throwing League. Regulation lanes are fifteen feet long. The venue will sport single throwing lanes— able to be operated by groups of up to four people and where one person throws at a time— and double lanes, which can be used by groups of up to twelve people and where two people throw simultaneously at side-by-side targets. Each lane will have what is known as an “Ax-pert”: an attendant who supervises gameplay to ensure the safety of everyone involved as well as explain rules and technique to first-time throwers. 

“The Ax-perts hold your hand through the process,” Brough said. “Once you know how to throw an axe— which is not that hard— you can do this,” Brough said. 

“Safety is our number one priority,” Gilman added.

Gilman and Brough also wish to establish regular throwing leagues for those who are, or become, enthusiasts. 

Though they are both relatively new to the sport, Gilman and Brough knew this was a business bullseye because it would fill a lot of recreational vacancies they perceived in the region. 

“We think it will be something really refreshing,” Gilman said. 

Their vision is for Climaxe to be a casual, family-friendly, and accessible place where anyone— from axe “newbies” to competitive throwers— can go for entertainment that does not revolve around screens.

“There’s nothing to do around here,” Brough said. “I think about my nephew, who just had school vacation. He’s thirteen and told me ‘vacation is boring. I’m bored.’” Brough said he is concerned that there aren’t enough things for kids and teens to do in the evenings besides play video games. Their vision is for Climaxe, he said, to offer something active and exciting, yet casual and accessible, for the area’s young people and families. 

Gilman and Brough also celebrate the sport as something that all members of the family can participate in and enjoy equally. The BYOB status of the venue will both cater to nighttime crowds and keep it from taking on a bar atmosphere, allowing it to stay family-friendly. Gilman and Brough hope one day to offer canned beverages, or even feature a local brewery, but want the sport to remain the major feature and draw of the venue. 

Climaxe will also become the northernmost site of its kind in the state. Southern New Hampshire boasts several axe-throwing businesses— including ones in Keene, Manchester, Nashua, and at the Seacoast— which demonstrate the appeal of the sport in the Granite State. Gilman and Brough hope not only to draw in members of the Lakes Region but also New Hampshire residents from the northern part of the state— where the woodsy culture makes this sport naturally appealing, Brough argues— for whom it doesn’t make sense to travel as far south as most of the current axe-throwing venues. 

The location they picked is part of a mall complex that has struggled to keep tenants in recent years and next to a craft and sewing store. That may seem unexpected, but Gilman and Brough see it as an opportunity. They were drawn to the Belknap Mall by hearing about its new ownership, and say they are excited to be part of a renaissance in a destination where they both spent time as kids. 

Gilman and Brough, who both grew up in Laconia, have been friends since they were five years old and still live in the area. They hope to use their business as a means for giving back to the community, with aspirations to collaborate with local businesses and charities and sponsor youth sport teams.

Of the new business, Belmont Town Planner Sarah Whearty said, “We are excited to see growth and rejuvenation in that very important part of Belmont.”

The target opening date for Climaxe is June 1.