New venue brings cuttingedge sport to Albuquerque
The Battle Axe Room, which offers ax-throwing entertainment — yes, there is such a thing — has opened at 2809 Broadbent Parkway NE, Suite C, next door to The Craftroom brewpub.
Competitive amateur ax throwing, which harkens back to age-old lumberjack competitions, came to life in a Toronto backyard in 2006. Ever since, the sport has gained in popularity and is spreading rapidly across Canada, the United States and into Europe.
Think of it as playing darts, but with a 1.5-pound ax, which actually is a hatchet, said one of the owners of the new business.
“The game is structured; there are rules and safety protocols involved,” says Angela Romero, one of the Battle
Axe Room owners whose day job is running an insurance brokerage. “No customer will ever be left unattended,” said Romero, who along with business partner, Diana Montoya, has spent many hours with power tools at the ready building targets at the indoor venue. “A coach is always on hand to make sure rules are followed and safety standards are upheld,” she said.
“Each group playing is monitored very heavily,” said Romero. “People aren’t walking around the floor wielding axes.”
“It’s just like bowling, only better” according to Montoya, adding that 40 percent of the league players nationally are women.
Participants, who have to be 18 or older to play, stand about 15 feet away from a 4-foot target with the hope that the ax they throw will make one full rotation before impaling wooden boards painted with rings indicating their score. “There’s nothing quite like throwing an ax to relieve stress after a long day,” according to Romero, who said the 10-target facility can accommodate individuals or groups and will host leagues. Special events like office parties, bachelor/bachelorette parties, birthday celebrations or corporate team building can be booked.
And a family day on Sundays is in the works.
Cost of a one-hour ax-throwing session is $15 Monday through Thursday; $20 Friday through Sunday; and $120 for a three-hour session for those joining an eightweek league.
Arrivederci, Albuquerque!
Eclectic Urban Pizzeria and Tap House has closed its doors for good.
Longtime Albuquerque restaurateurs Maxime and Daniela Bouneou confirmed that the eatery, which opened in August 2016, has shut its doors at 2119 Menual NE.
Business during the first year was “incredible,” Maxime said, but four months ago, there was a drop-off in sales. “Nothing was wrong with the food, and service was great,” he said of a menu that truly lived up to its business name. In addition to the vast array of pizza choices, the restaurant included the likes of chicken wings, beer-braised short ribs, and pho noodles. “I just don’t think we were able to capture enough business from the surrounding neighborhood” and there was competition from other pizza restaurants and purveyors of craft beer.
The husband-and-wife team behind Torino’s at Home sold their Italian restaurant in the Journal Center to launch Eclectic. Now, they have the Menaul property listed for sale with commercial real estate brokerage Berger Briggs for $495,000.
After selling the business, the couple will bid adieu to Albuquerque and decamp to Provence, where they plan to open a bed and breakfast, Maxime said.
Bit of a stretch
The owners of Grassroots Yoga have opened a West Side studio location in The Shops at Montano at Coors and Montano.
Studio owners Stephanie Kroack and Erin Hansbrough say they have over 25 years of combined teaching experience and have successfully operated a female-owned small business that is rapidly growing. The business owners currenly run a studio at 4310 Lomas Blvd NE.
The new business is located at 6001 Winter Haven NW, Suite H.
Albuquerque’s yoga businesses have grown in recent years, and the choices and styles are many. Hot yoga has developed a footprint in the city. There are also Hatha and Bikram yoga. In some West Coast markets, a new style called Broga has popped up — a macho twist on yoga for bros only.