In September 2018, Marc and Beverly Oanes were in Utah for a cousin’s wedding. Having only been to Utah during the winter to go snowboarding, Beverly was looking for something else to do during their trip. That’s how they found something that had only just begun to make its way to Southern California: axe throwing.
Once exclusive to lumberjack festivals and other outdoor fairs, axe throwing as a recreational activity only began to get popular in the mid-2000s. At the end of the night in 2018, the Oanes were inspired. Beverly said, “We had such a good time, my husband and I were looking at each other and said, ‘Oh my god! We should open one in California!”
By December, Axem Axe Throwing became an LLC. Axem was one of Los Angeles’ first axe throwing venues, opened by the Oanes in 2019. It was the second axe throwing venue in Los Angeles County, and the third in Southern California.
Marc and Beverly both come from artistic backgrounds; Marc is a glassblower and Beverly is a former art teacher with a studio art degree. They came into the axe throwing business wanting to be more creative and unique.
“I wanted it [to be] our own,” Beverly said. “A lot of axe places are kind of like bowling, where you have bowling leagues. There are axe throwing leagues, but our place is for having fun. It’s a heavy axe or hatchet and you have knives too, so we wanted it to be comfortable and for people to have a good time and learn how to throw. You just want to go there to learn and hang out with friends or go on date night. It’s supposed to be fun.”
From the beginning, Axem wanted to take away the intimidating atmosphere of competitive axe throwing. The bays are painted with bright colors and there’s a photo wall with neon lights and a giant bulldog head. Each session includes a 15-minute training demo for beginners and the only rules are that participants must be 18 years or older and they must wear closed toe shoes.
The Oanes have moved all across the country: Las Vegas, Florida, Washington state. In the end, they found themselves back in California, where Beverly grew up in the San Gabriel Valley. Axem Axe Throwing is based in West Covina, but the Oanes fell in love with Alhambra unexpectedly.
Alhambra’s charming Main Street was a big draw. “You actually want to hang out in your city. It’s really homely, but not too far away from everything,” Beverly explained. They settled down in Alhambra during Covid, while trying to keep Axem afloat amid the pandemic and quarantine.
Luckily, the community loved Axem Axe Throwing from the get go. “The first year, the innovativeness of having axe throwing sold itself. I already had visions of having more locations. Axe throwing was blowing up,” Beverly said. The Oanes used their savings from 2019 to pay rent through quarantine, until they could open the store again — they wanted to stay independent, so they never got a loan or investor for the business. It’s allowed them to keep Axem unique and
“In 2020, we still had a lot of support, people asking ‘when are you going to open? When are you going to open?’” Beverly recalled. She attributes the community’s support to their continued success until 2024. They’ve hosted corporate events for well-known companies like Southern California Edison and New Balance, in addition to private parties for birthdays and other celebrations, and it’s opened the door to so much more for the couple.
“Starting this for me personally has opened the door to wanting to start different ventures,” Beverly said. Whether that’s expanding Axem to another location or pursuing something entirely different, she doesn’t know yet. Whatever it is, it will still be artsy and fun, and something the couple can do together.
Visit Axem Axe Throwing at 420 N Azusa Ave Suite A, West Covina, Tuesday through Sunday. Wear a Halloween costume for a free add-on!
