Denise Ogurkis found inspiration to establish an ax-throwing business while she was tens of thousands of feet in the air.
Ogurkis, a serial entrepreneur, crafted the idea for the Hatchet Factory after seeing a booklet on a plane when traveling to a small town in Idaho
“I always look for something to bring into town that isn’t here, something unique and different,” she said. “I was on a flight to Twin Falls for my nonprofit, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, and I read an article about a gentleman in Canada who owned a bar and put a target on the wall. People loved that they could throw a hatchet at it. I thought, there’s a novel idea.”
Owner Denise Ogurkis poses for a photograph in her business, The Hatchet Factory, in Forty Fort Thursday, May 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The inside of The Hatchet Factory, in Forty Fort Thursday, May 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The private party room has wooden targets for throwing hatchets in The Hatchet Factory in Forty Fort Thursday, May 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
A hatchet is placed in a wooden stump at The Hatchet Factory, in Forty Fort Thursday, May 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Owner Denise Ogurkis poses for a photograph in her business, The Hatchet Factory, in Forty Fort Thursday, May 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Several months after returning from the trip, Ogurkis found a space and opened the business along Welles Street in Forty Fort in July 2019.
“We opened, and I got shut down a few months later because of COVID,” she said. “We were ramping it up and ready to roll, and the place was packed every night, and then COVID came. We had to rebuild once we were allowed to open the doors and it evolved into a place where we do a lot of team building, corporate events, and private parties like wedding receptions and baby showers. We’ve become more of a community venue.”
Now, about seven years later, the Hatchet Factory received recognition from Citizens as one of the bank’s 20 recipients of its 2026 Small Business Community Champion Award from throughout nine states.
“It’s going to help us tremendously in a couple different areas,” Ogurkis said. “The first thing we want to do is implement some things for our overall customer experience within the realm of visibility, making sure people know about the business. We’re going do some marketing and some upgrades with our signage. I was floored that we were chosen because there are so many great businesses and all of them need a little bit of help.”
Each honoree receives $10,000 and a year of professional development support through Luminary, which includes different educational services and additional business supports, Citizens officials said.
Citizens has awarded nearly $2 million to small businesses during the nine years of the program, officials added.
Danielle Newnam, Citizens’ vice president and small-business market manager for Greater Philadelphia, lauded Ogurkis’ planned use of the money.
“Some things that stood out around her submission were how she had intended to allocate the funds, and bring them back into the community,” Newnam said. “She highlighted that she would use the award to strengthen and sustain her business by using the funds to support free and low-cost events for local nonprofits, youth groups and first responders. She also mentioned that she would use some of the funds to help long-term sustainability by upgrading equipment, enhancing safety features, and targeting marketing efforts to reach new audiences. We know small businesses play key roles in our local economy. As she grows the business, this will also provide more job opportunities.”
Ogurkis strives to continue building on the facility’s reputation as a welcoming space and community hub for years to come.
“I think everybody needs to feel they have a safe place to go, where there is camaraderie,” she said. “I think people are craving connection right now. We want to give people a place to unplug, laugh, have some conversation and make memories. This is my baby. My children work there, I work there, so it was super exciting to see that this little puppy I launched in the valley is now part of something bigger.”