Anybody ever heard of Dueling Axes?
Sports bars, brewpubs, and craft breweries have struggled for a variety of reasons since the Covid-19 pandemic, including declining foot traffic and rising costs of products and labor, driven by inflation. In some cases, an establishment closes for a mysterious, undisclosed reason. Axe-throwing ...
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Popular sports bar chain closes all locations, no bankruptcy
Sports bars, brewpubs, and craft breweries have struggled for a variety of reasons since the Covid-19 pandemic, including declining foot traffic and rising costs of products and labor, driven by inflation.
In some cases, an establishment closes for a mysterious, undisclosed reason.
Axe-throwing sports bar chain Dueling Axes has closed all of its locations as a result of circumstances outside of the company's control, according to WCMH-TV in Columbus, Ohio.
Dueling Axes closes all locations
The company did not indicate what circumstances caused it to shut down all five locations as of July 31.
A spokesperson for Dueling Axes was no immediately available for comment.
"The closures resulted from circumstances outside our control and we are deeply saddened that our eight-year journey has ended this way," Dueling Axes said in a statement. "For now, founders Paul and Jess are focused on responsibly wrapping up the company's operations and moving forward into their next chapter."
The Columbus-based axe-throwing sports bar chain has not filed for bankruptcy at last check, and the owners have not revealed their future plans.
Axe-throwing bar opened in 2018
Dueling Axes was founded in 2018 by co-owners Jess Hellmich and Paul Sherry in Downtown Columbus. The sports bar consisted of axe-throwing lanes with targets, separated by netted barriers to protect participants, a full bar, and plenty of, mounted large format television screens for sports fans to watch their games.
The axe-throwing sports bar also opened locations in New Albany, Ohio, and Las Vegas in December 2020, Grove City, Ohio in July 2025 and Cincinnati in August 2025, according to WCMH.
The Downtown Columbus location didn't sell food, but allowed outside food to be brought in. Other locations had kitchens, such as the Cincinnati Dueling Axes, which offered axe-throwing deals with a food menu that included flatbread pizzas, Cuban sandwiches, Paninis, and appetizers such as nachos and tots, according to its website.
Farewell messages from owners
The Dueling Axes New Albany webpage posted a closing message for customers:
"This location has permanently closed. After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close our New Albany/Hamilton Quarter location," the message read.
"We are incredibly grateful to every guest, team member, neighbor, and partner who supported this location over the years. Thank you for choosing us for your nights out, celebrations, team events, birthdays, date nights, and everything in between.