MIDDLEBORO — Faris Ojjeh, the owner of an axe throwing bar in downtown Middleboro that aims to open later this year, says that he hopes his new bar shows the public that axe throwing is more than a novelty.

“We want to be a place where people come often,” Ojjeh said.

One part of that strategy is that Ojjeh said the bar will feature a competitive league as well as a fun game where patrons attempt to hit specific targets. “It’s not just: ‘oh you throw it,’” Ojjeh explained. “It’s like darts — you have to hit a certain spot, there’s points, you add up your points — there’s a game on top of it.”

Above all else, Ojjeh wants his patrons to have fun.

“It's gonna be a laid back environment where people go to socialize and have fun,” he said. Although axe throwing will be the main attraction, the bar will also have other activities like cornhole and arcade games. 

Ojjeh and his business partner and co-owner Jacob Chartier are childhood friends, they explained, and both currently work as emergency medical technicians. They want to collaborate with other local businesses by featuring menus from local restaurants or by selling drinks produced by local producers.

“We want to help the community and get everyone involved so we’re a team,” Ojjeh said.

Safety is an important priority for the business, Ojjeh and Chartier said. Patrons will receive training from staff before they are allowed to throw axes and the axe throwing “lanes” are designed with safety features, Chartier explained.

The new bar, which will be named Hatchet in Hand Axe Throwing and Bar, will share the building that used to house a Benny’s store on 85 Centre St. in Middleboro with an eyeglasses business. 

Ojjeh is a woodworker as well as an EMT, and he said that he is currently building the furniture for the bar himself. He explained that Middleboro was a good location for an axe throwing bar because the town is centrally located in a spot that is far away from currently existing axe throwing bars. 

“If you look up on Google ‘axe throwing near me,’ you’ll see there’s one in Plymouth, Fall River, Rhode Island, and Foxboro,” Ojjeh explained. “Dead center in Middleboro: not a single one.”

“This is a perfect location,” he added.