EATONTOWN, N.J. — A new business in town allows its patrons to get primal while drinking a cold one.
The idea for Stumpy’s Hatchet House, the first indoor hatchet throwing venue in the United States, was homegrown by two couples, Kelly and Stuart Josberger, of Toms River, and Trish and Mark Oliphant, of Lakehurst.
“One of the things that we all liked about it was, it was something a little primitive, a little organic, kind of primal to pick up an ax to throw it at a target,” Stuart Josberger said.
“We just felt there was a kind of need for this type of a business,” said Trish Oliphant.
It took the two 50-something couples about a year to find a suitable space with high enough ceilings and to complete the build-out.
“We talked to a lot of landlords, and they were like, ‘Yeah, no thank you,'" Mark Oliphant said.
But when the owners saw the blue and chartreuse boxing gym in Eatontown they knew it could be a BYOB hatchet-throwing haven for people over 21.
“A lot of people say, ‘Hatchets and beer, that sounds really dangerous,’ ” Kelly Josberger said. “First of all, we take safety really seriously, and we also reserve the right to remove people who are drinking too much and not following the rules.”
This time last year the couples weren't thinking about a rule book.
“We were hanging out in the backyard by the chiminea, chopping up firewood, and then we start throwing (a hatchet) at a dead tree,” said Mark Oliphant. “The next thing you know we were trying to see who could do it the best, and then next weekend there were six of us out there throwing.”
Last weekend, three groups took over picnic tables and couches and set up shop with their beer and snacks. Decorative string lights crisscrossed above the throwing pits pounding with hatchet thuds.
The visitors went through training where they signed waivers and learned the rules.
Each group received two solid steel 14-inch hatchets. From there, they learned the different games they could play at the pits.
“I got a bull's-eye on the first try today so, I love it,” said Danielle Monia of Freehold, who heard about Stumpy’s through a craft beer group. “This is definitely weird and different and like, up-and-coming.”
Jackeline Mejias-Fuertes, director of the Small Business Development Center at Brookdale, said people today want to let loose in new ways.
“Now we have more expendable income, people are not having families as early, and they’re going out and trying different things,” she said.
“Our minds work a lot quicker now, and maybe we do need to put down technology and do something with our hands to feel like we accomplish something,” Mejias-Fuertes said.
