Billy McDaniel throws hatchets for a living.
Last year, McDaniel was in the recruiting business and on a flight to see a client when he picked up a magazine featuring an article about ax throwing.
Other WRAL Top Stories
"The more I read it, the more excited I got about it," McDaniel said. "Raleigh didn't have it. I thought, what a better time to bring something to a market that would be fun."
So, he went home and built a target to attach to a tree in his backyard. He invited the neighbors over. The target didn't stay on the tree, soon hitting the ground, but that didn't matter.
"We threw hatchets at the ground," he said. "I was hooked."
And McDaniel hasn't stopped throwing hatchets since.
He started Epic Axe as a mobile business.
"We put stickers on a trailer and built a target in my garage and started knocking on doors," he said, noting that breweries were a perfect fit.
"We went with the intention to keep their customers there a little longer," he said.
Epic Axes got its big break when they set up at the Triangle Craft Brew Alliance Festival last year. After a slow start, the lines to throw axes soon became incredibly popular.
"The passion for me was the love of throwing axes and all the other stuff has just fallen into place," McDaniel said.
Epic Axes opened in its first location inside Southern Charred restaurant on Glenwood Avenue in downtown Raleigh. A second location is open in Katy, Texas.
McDaniel said Epic Axes is looking to open a location in North Hills by mid-summer and at The Factory in Wake Forest in late summer or early fall. Two more Texas locations are also on tap.
With alcohol served at each Epic Axe location, safety can be a concern. McDaniel said they work to ensure a safe environment by not serving alcohol to excess, preventing drunk ax throwing.
There is also turf and tall cages installed around all targets.
"We always want to keep the rest of the restaurant and our business safe," McDaniel said. "For me, it's being hyper-alert that this can be somewhat dangerous, but taking that element out."