30 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 

W

hen business 
owners Geoff 
Kretchmer and 
Brian Siegel opened Detroit 
Axe in Ferndale in 2017, they 
knew axe-throwing would be a 
hit, but they never anticipated 
it to become popular enough to 
eventually open a third location 
just four years later.
Joining the original Ferndale 
location and a newer spot in 
Clinton Township’s Partridge 
Creek that opened in 2019, 
The Yard in Detroit’s Corktown 
neighborhood is now open for 
business. The 8,000-square-foot 
attraction will be complete with 
board games, an outdoor patio 
and, of course, plenty of axe- 
throwing.
“The Yard in Corktown is a 
phenomenal, interactive space,
” 
says Kretchmer, 54, who is also 
president of event planning and 
production company Star Trax. 

He calls it a “combo” space, 
one that will blend the original 
elements of Detroit Axe (think: 
axe-throwing) with a full-
fledged kitchen.
“We bought an Airstream 
[trailer] and we tricked it out 
in the kitchen,
” Kretchmer 
continues. That means The 
Yard, which has partnered 
with Ruckus Taco Co., will be 
serving up tacos, burrito bowls, 
nachos, churros, french fries 
and more straight out of the 
trailer, with a full bar nearby.
Like the Ferndale facility, The 
Yard will have 12 axe-throwing 
lanes. It will also offer a selec-
tion of more than 500 board 
games, plus fire pits for bonfires 
and cornhole on its outdoor 
patio. 
Eventually, Kretchmer 
dreams of also adding an area 
for volleyball or a pool table, 
making The Yard a one-stop 

shop for all enter-
tainment needs.
“It’s a fun space,
” 
he says, “where peo-
ple can hang out in a 
comfortable setting, 
kind of like a giant 
tailgate.
”

BRINGING AXE-
THROWING TO 
THE DETROIT 
VENUE
After opening the 
first Detroit Axe 
location in Ferndale 
and seeing the suc-
cess of axe-throw-
ing, Kretchmer and 
Siegel had their 
eyes set on finding 
a perfect location in Detroit 
proper to one day bring their 
business to the city.
“We love the crowd,
” 
Kretchmer says of Detroit. 

“We love what has 
happened to the city, 
especially in the cen-
tral business district.
”
In Corktown, they 
found the ideal build-
ing that Kretchmer 
explains “fit their 
style,
” and it just hap-
pened to be right on 
Michigan Avenue, 
which goes through 
the heart of the neigh-
borhood.
“It just felt like 
our sweet spot,
” 
Kretchmer says.
While Kretchmer 
runs the day-to-day 
operations of the 
three venues, Siegel, 
who serves as CEO of the 
Jewish Community Center of 
Metropolitan Detroit, is the 
creative mind behind the busi-
ness.

OUR COMMUNITY

Come Play at The Yard

New 8,000-square-foot axe-throwing facility opens in Corktown.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

PHOTOS BY THE YARD

Geoff Kretchmer, 
top, and Brian 
Siegel, above.

PHOTOS BY JOHN HARDWICK

