Firehouse Axes was honestly just a kismet opportunity that started back in 2021 when Amy Philip, Founder of Paradigmq Corporation, paradigmQ Escape Games, and Escape Games PDX, saw the old fire station for lease and called the Owner. Unfortunately, the space had just been leased out to a brewery so Amy went back to the drawing board but nothing she found was now cool enough to look at, for the first-stand alone axe house in Vancouver, WA. Almost one year later to the day, she saw the For Lease sign back up and called the Owner again and toured it the next day. And that was that, Firehouse Axes was born.

It took a crazy amount of work to bring the original 1932 building up to scratch and make it a great space for throwing axes, gathering with friends and co-workers and grabbing some good food and drinks. “We wanted to keep the charm but bring it into the 21st century”.

But the renovations paid off and the building is now a beautiful, bright red, beacon on Main Street in the Shumway neighborhood and has received a lot of praise from the local community. “We’ve had a super positive reaction from the get-go! It’s been very exciting to see that the neighborhood is happy about the change and that something is finally coming into the area that will pay homage to the history but also bring something fun, albeit a bit quirky, to the area”, said Owner Amy Philip.

“We get daily pedestrians asking about it, people driving on Main Street tend to slow down and look, especially when we were trying to decide on the exact shade of red we wanted to paint the building-it looked like a circus tent with 32 different shades of red striped all up and down the outside!

The excitement from the Firefighter community has also been a huge part of our own enthusiasm for getting the location up and running-we’d get weekly visits from different stations asking to see the space and giving us their history with the station. It really has been a cool process to see what this building means to different people.”

With over 20 years in Guest Services and 7 in Interactive Entertainment, Amy is beyond excited to bring Axe Throwing, one of the hottest new trends in the World right now to Vancouver, her home town for more than 30 years. “I love that we were able to build this business less than 10 minutes from my home and have something that friends, couples, even co-workers can enjoy together. We are also hosting my high school reunion in the summer and I think that’ll be a kick to see how far our little town has come in 20 years!.”

If you’re an axe enthusiast or not, this is an activity that almost anyone can do-lawyers and insurance agents say you must be at least 10 years old-and most people are surprised at how much fun it really is, especially once you hit your first bullseye. Our axe throwing games actually can get quite addicting! The sport of axe throwing has grown tremendously over the last few years, with League play, kind of like bowling, and even National and World Championship Tournaments happening now with an ever growing fan base to cheer on the best throwers in the world.

And before you think it’s not for you, just try it. Throw it and see what all the axe-citement is all about! So come to our axe throwing bar in Vancouver, WA, and get ready to axe-perience the thrill of throwing a hatchet and competing against friends or family. At Firehouse Axes, whether you’re a beginner or an expert, we have something for everyone that will keep you coming back week after week. At our axe throwing bar, we strive to make your experience as fun and safe as possible, with all our staff members being trained by certified professionals.