Former Middleboro Benny’s Will Soon Be an Axe-Throwing Bar

MIDDLEBORO (WBSM) — A couple of friends are about to do a hatchet job on an iconic downtown Middleboro property – but in a good way.

Faris Ojjeh and his friend and business partner Jacob Chartier are both EMTs by day, but are looking for a fun career change. The two will soon open Hatchet in Hand, a new axe-throwing bar in the former Benny’s location on Centre Street in Middleboro.

Benny’s has been closed for just about seven years, and residents have long wondered what might take its place; it’s hard to imagine an axe-throwing bar was among the suspected candidates.

“The town seems pretty excited about it,” Ojjeh told WBSM.

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Ojjeh said inspiration struck a little over a year ago when he was in Philadelphia with his family.

“We all went to an axe-throwing place, and I fell in love with it,” he said. “We had a great time, and I thought it was such a cool venture, so I started looking into it and everything, and realized the profit margins are really high, and there’s not too much overhead.”

He said he started looking for the right location, and eventually settled on the former Benny’s in downtown Middleboro.

“It’s a very historic site, and the whole town is obsessed with that building,” he said.

The initial plan was for Hatchet in Hand to be a BYOB establishment, similar to other ax-throwing businesses.

“The town said no, but they said they did have a beer and wine license available, so we went through that process and just recently got approved,” Ojjeh said.

Right now, Ojjeh and Chartier are in the process of putting together the interior of the establishment while the electricians are handling all the wiring.

“They still need to do the HVAC and the plumbing, but we’re getting it all done in the next few weeks,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll be opening within the next month.”

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Ojjeh said they’ve already built the axe-throwing lanes and are now working on decorating the interior of Hatchet in Hand.

“A lot of these axe-throwing places don’t even try to make it nice. It’s just cages and targets,” he said. “Ours is going to be very cool inside, with country themes, western themes, Native American themes. We’ll have deer heads on the wall.”

Ojjeh said they also recently purchased a 1960s Harley Davidson to hang from the ceiling over near the restrooms, and everything else is being handcrafted by Ojjeh, who does woodworking in his spare time.

“It will be very welcoming. It’s not just a place to throw, it’s a place to hang out,” he said.

With that in mind, there are also plans for video games such as Buck Hunter, Pac-Man and Super Mario Bros.; giant Jenga and Connect 4 games; foosball, cornhole and live music are all on tap as well.

Speaking of on tap, Hatchet in hand will serve beer, wine and seltzer drinks.

The cost to take part in axe-throwing will be $25 per hour, or $40 for two hours.

Hatchet in Hand will be open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays from 4 p.m. until midnight, Saturdays from noon to midnight, and Sundays from noon to 8 p.m.

For Mondays and Tuesdays, the plan is to every other week have some kind of special event, like a wine and paint night, country line dancing or trivia. During those nights, the ax throwing will remain closed.

Everyone coming into Hatchet in Hand will sign a liability waiver. The owners are currently figuring out exactly what ages to allow in, and are considering options like a “kids day” or other potential options. It should all be worked out by the grand opening, Ojjeh said.

“We’re hoping to get this all started soon, get open and have some fun,” he said.

You can follow along with the progress on the Hatchet in Hand Facebook page, Instagram account and at HatchetInHand.com.