Axe Republic, a new, locally owned sports/entertainment concept and vision of Nikki and is coming to New Town’s Main Street to occupy 4,000 sf in the glass-lined end-cap location at 4919 Courthouse Street - to the right of the Regal Theater and diagonally across the street from Buffalo Wild Wings.Axe Republic will feature 12 lanes for participants to try their hand (or perfect their form) landing a specialized axe within the target areas of a wooden backboard painted with a large bullseye. The new venue will also feature food and beverage which will include gourmet hot dogs, light snacks, sodas and seltzers and locally brewed products from the Virginia Beer Company. Nikki Montero explains that , “I first tried Axe Throwing in Virginia Beach for a birthday outing and after making multiple return trips I was hooked on the sport!”. Nikki set out to research the equipment, logistics, insurance and formed her business plan soon thereafter. After living around the world as a former Military wife, Nikki has honed her business and management skills as a stockbroker, stay at home mom, and most recently as a school nurse with WJCC Schools. Nikki shared, “I love people and I’m thrilled to be opening the Axe Republic doors on Main Street to bring this fun, challenging and family friendly entertainment venue to Williamsburg.” There are no special skills required to participate, although participants must be 14 years of age or over (and accompanied by a parent/guardian if under the age of 18). The twelve lanes accommodate six players each and a timed session is typically 75-120 minutes which always includes a fifteen-minute safety and informative segment with an “Axepert”. Throwers can reserve lanes online (although walk-ins are welcomed if space is available) and Montero envisions a day of the week that will be exclusive to league play. The initial hours for the business will be 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, Friday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday Noon- 6 p.m.
Ensuring safety is a priority and participants are closely monitored while always within close proximity to an Axe Republic “Axepert” available to help with technique and enforce safety protocol. According to Montero, the space’s interior will “feature a blend of modern and industrial finishes” and will include a communal seating area with custom made tree slab tables and several gathering options for groups to linger and eat and drink or to spectate. Having travelled the world together and essentially retired to Williamsburg, Both Nikki and her husband remain very active in the community and in running their various businesses. Eddie owns and operates several UPS stores while Nikki will be the proprietor of Axe Republic. Nikki shared that she chose the New Town location based on its high traffic, theater centric vibe and its abundance of evening dining and entertainment options. The couple is being assisted by local contractors to ready the space and the opening is planned for late August 2019.
New Town Main's leasing team from Cushman and Wakefield | Thalhimer (Drew Haynie and Wick Smith) represented the Landlord, Williamsburg Developers, LLC during the negotiations that yielded the new concept. “Nikki is a true entrepreneur and an energetic early adapter bringing a fantastic and nationally trending new concept to New Town. Trust me, she is one sharp businesswoman!”, said Thalhimer First Vice President, Drew Haynie. “Watch for more entertainment/EATertainment and family friendly concepts coming to Main Street in 2019. New Town Main ownership has really made a big commitment to keep the center relevant and dynamic by attracting fresh offerings and hot concepts that offer something for everyone.”
Kelly Voss of Developers Realty added, “We’ve been searching for the right user to activate this corner location for some time and believe we’ve hit the bullseye with Axe Republic! We’re extremely pleased to add yet another fun, family friendly, independent and locally owned concept to the project”.
About Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer
Thalhimer was founded in 1913 and currently has offices in Richmond, Newport News, Virginia Beach, Fredericksburg, Roanoke, Charlottesville, and Lynchburg, VA; and Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville, SC. The company has over 100 broker professionals and employs over 400 associates. Thalhimer represents, on behalf of its clients, a property portfolio of over 56 million leasable square feet, and management of over 30 million square feet of commercial property, and over 8,000 multifamily units. In 2018 Thalhimer completed nearly 2,000 transactions with a transactional volume over $1.3 billion. Thalhimer is the region’s leading provider of comprehensive commercial real estate services. The firm offers comprehensive commercial real estate services including corporate services, investment sales, tenant representation, project management, asset management, and the sale and leasing of office, industrial and retail properties.
To learn more, visit www.thalhimer.com or follow @Thalhimer on Twitter.
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About Cushman & Wakefield
Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global real estate services firm that delivers exceptional value for real estate occupiers and owners. Cushman & Wakefield is among the largest real estate services firms with approximately 51,000 employees in 400 offices and 70 countries. In 2018, the firm had revenue of $8.2 billion across core services of property, facilities and project management, leasing, capital markets, valuation and other services. To learn more, visit www.cushmanwakefield.com or follow @CushWake on Twitter.
