Ax-throwing venue scuttles San Jose plan but restaurants eye space
SAN JOSE — For a while, it appeared downtown San Jose would host two ax-throwing venues that would bring more vibrancy to the urban core. Now, the downtown won’t have any.
Yet in a hopeful sign, several restaurants, well aware of the dramatic success story of a new downtown dining hot spot, are poised to jump into the space one ax-tossing venue has decided not to occupy.
Unofficial Logging had signed a lease in 2021 to open an ax-throwing establishment in a space totaling 6,800 square feet within Paseo, a mixed-use office, restaurant and entertainment development at 201 South First Street in San Jose.
However, the ax-tossing operation couldn’t get the financing it needed to open and launch operations, according to Erik Hayden, founder and managing partner with San Jose-based Urban Catalyst, developer of Paseo.
Unofficial Logging’s retreat from San Jose marks the second demise of an ax-tossing venue in downtown San Jose recently.
In April 2024, Axe-Men Throw House, located near the corner of South Second Street and East Santa Clara Street, closed its doors.
Sarah Sed, principal owner and operator of Axe-Men Throw House, said its shutdown was caused by a sour California business climate, burdensome San Jose rules and a sluggish rebound from the coronavirus business shutdowns for its decision to cease operations.
“We could never make enough money above and beyond the high cost of doing business in California and the high rents in San Jose,” Sed said. “We could never be consistently profitable.”
Ultimately, the revenue improvement over two-plus years of operation didn’t suffice, according to Sed.
That closure appeared to leave Unofficial Logging poised to be the only ax-throwing venture in downtown San Jose.
Unofficial Logging, however, couldn’t land the financing it needed to get started.
“It’s sad, but they weren’t able to open,” Hayden said. “So we worked out a termination of the lease.”
The space might not remain empty on a long-term basis, however.
Thanks to the head-spinning success being enjoyed by another tenant within Paseo, several dining establishments are jumping at the chance to take over the now-vacant space on the project’s ground floor, Hayden said.
Eos & Nyx opened in November 2024 and has been packed ever since, garnering rave reviews, according to Hayden.
“People are seeing how much success Eos & Nyx is having, how great they are doing, and they want to open in that space,” Hayden said.