Valhalla North Axe Throwing

As we celebrate International Women’s Day we thought we would profile some of our great business women.

Kathryn Brown set up an interesting business in 2019 called Valhalla North Axe Throwing.

We spoke to Kathryn about the reasons behind this niche business.

“Me and my fiancé won a competition to try axe throwing just over 3 years ago now. We loved it so much but at the time there was nowhere within 100 miles.

“So we built a target in our garden whilst looking for the perfect venue to bring the sport to the North East. We set up the business in Feb 2019 and opened our doors in November 2019.

Valhalla North is the North East’s first dedicated axe and knife throwing centre owned and run by Kathryn and Carl. It offers axe and knife throwing and a mobile axe throwing trailer for events and festivals.

They have have a Sunday morning kids club and an archery club.

Kathryn says; “My job is to show everyone how to throw an axe and get everyone sticking it in the bullseye, followed by games, competitions and trick shots!

“The best bit about owning and running Valhalla North is getting to meet everyone who comes through the door and watch them leave with huge smiles on their faces! It’s even better when we see them come back a week later!

Covid-19 Challenges

Unfortunately Covid-19 has had an impact on their business.

Kathryn says; “Unfortunately we had to close in March during the first lockdown. We reopened in July and had a fantastic summer!

“We then closed our doors again in November, opened in December and closed again in January. It’s been a really tough year but we have survived and we are so ready to reopen our doors on 12th April!

2021 is hopefully going to be a big year for the couple. They have seen the introduction of ‘The Valkyrie’ a mobile axe throwing trailer and just recently the announcement of our new kids club on a Sunday morning and the Valhalla North Archery Club.

Kathryn adds; “We have more plans in the pipeline and some exciting news to release in the coming weeks.

“Most of all we are looking forward to seeing our customers, club members and friends and hopefully a full year of open doors without any more lockdowns!

Owning a business brings a lot of joy for Kathryn. She says; “Being personally responsible for bringing joy to thousand’s of people every year is an amazing feeling.

“Setting the business up gave me a huge feeling of accomplishment and every booking that comes through and our amazing reviews brings a great sense of pride.

Business Advice

So what advice would Kathryn gice to other women going into business;

“The best advice we were given when we first started was ‘strap in, it’s a very steep learning curve’ which it most certainly has been and still is.

“However, if you have a passion for it, just go for it.

“Speak to your local business advisors, they give you advice for free and write a strong business plan. The help is out there, reach out, speak to others, go to networking events, gather as much information as you possibly can.

But most of all, Kathryn encourages people to enjoy it; “It’s the best feeling in the world watching something you created come to life.”