Rusty Hatchet brings unique experience to Milledgeville

Published 3:15 pm Monday, January 31, 2022

Milledgeville native and Baldwin High School graduate Katrina Tucker spent several years in the medical field. The COVID-19 pandemic brought on a lot of stress to her job and life, which took its toll on her. So much so that she shared with her husband that she no longer wanted to be in the medical line of work. She’d grown burnt out from the stress of it all.

During that conversation with her husband, Tucker said that she told him that she wanted to do a job that was fun. That led to the idea to develop her business, Rusty Hatchet, where patrons use ax throwing to release stress and have fun.

Both Tucker and her husband are active ax throwers and even got engaged at an axe throwing site in Cleveland, Ga. Tucker said she often thought that her hometown of Milledgeville could use an ax throwing business of its own. She figured that it would do well with both the college students and the locals.

After taking a leave of absence from work due to burnout and her mental health, Tucker made the decision with her husband to try and open her own ax throwing place.

“I told him: ‘Let’s try it, I think it will be good. We’re going to be mad at ourselves if somebody else does it and it does well. We’d be like, we had that idea and never did it,’” she said.

Rusty Hatchet opened its doors last December. The building features big screen televisions, and there are even plastic ax targets for kids to throw while the adults make throws of their own.

There are bean bag throwing games available for kids 10 and younger. The best part is there is no charge for the kids to come play and as long as they are occupied while the adults throw. Tucker said that she has tried to make Rusty Hatchet as family-friendly a business as possible because as a mother, she knows what it’s like to plan a night out and how it can be difficult to make sure each member of the family is having fun.

Though things were kind of slow at first, Tucker noted that business has picked up as word has spread around the community.

She understands that ax throwing can seem a little intimidating for beginners. She and her family try to ease that intimidation as much as they can. When patrons come in, they are given instructions, safety guidelines, and are also taught how to keep score.

“Just the thought of it is kind of intimidating for a lot of people,” Tucker said “But it’s a lot easier than people think, it’s very accomplishable.”

Customer service is also a big deal for Tucker — it’s something she emphasizes because she feels it goes a long way.

“We just try to make everybody happy and to make sure they have a good time with the business as much as we can,” Tucker said.

The prices to come throw are determined by time slot — $16 for 30 minutes and $22 for one hour. Patrons can book for an hour and a half as well. There are also group, college, military/law enforcement/first responder discounts available at Rusty Hatchet. The venue is also available for rent for private events for a minimum of two hours, and the space can be rented on days when Rusty Hatchet isn’t normally open.

When customers visit Rusty Hatchet, Tucker said she hopes they have the best time.

“I just want customer satisfaction,” she said. “I want them to leave there and feel like everything that they came to do, they were able to do.”