The axes are staying, but almost everything else is changing at 206 Broadway E. Blade & Timber, Capitol Hill's pioneering urban axe-throwing bar, is transforming into Recess, a multi-attraction games-and-cocktails venue that will fold in darts, billiards, retro arcade games, and a private event space while keeping the axe lanes that made the spot a neighborhood fixture.
According to WhatNow, Recess will describe its Capitol Hill concept as a place for games, cocktails, and late nights, per the venue's own website. Blade & Timber remains open during the transition, and no exact date for the full switchover has been announced. The cocktail bar is set to serve classic cocktails, wine, and local pours, while the new arcade section will offer unlimited play through a wristband system rather than per-game payment.
A 6,928-Square-Foot Space Built for More Than Axes
The venue occupies roughly 6,928 square feet and was originally built to accommodate up to 22 coached axe-throwing lanes, according to Eventective. That footprint now has room to spare for billiards tables, dartboards, and arcade cabinets alongside the axe lanes, plus a private event space that can accommodate up to 120 people. The building's owner, Dru Agarwal, is also part of the local ownership group behind Recess, tying the makeover directly to Capitol Hill's shifting commercial real estate scene.
Blade & Timber first opened on Broadway in March 2019 inside a street-level retail space that had previously housed the adult store Castle Megastore, situated beneath the former vegan punk bar The Highline, as reported by Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. When it debuted, it was only the second dedicated urban axe-throwing venue to open in the Seattle area, following White Center's Axe Kickers, per SEATTLEITE. Hoodline covered the original opening in its rundown of new Seattle businesses back in April 2019.
Following a Playbook Tested in Kansas
The rebrand mirrors a shift already tested in the Recess brand's Lawrence, Kansas location at 722 Massachusetts St., which transitioned from its former identity as Sinkers Lounge and Blade & Timber into a multi-activity concept featuring mini golf, axe throwing, tabletop games, and an arcade. The Recess brand's parent company appears to be moving away from single-activity entertainment venues toward multi-attraction social hubs that combine several games with nightlife, a shift the blog notes reflects wider industry trends. Recess already lists the Capitol Hill location on its own website even as construction and rebranding continue.
Agarwal's real estate footprint on Capitol Hill and beyond extends well past this single building. He purchased the 206 Broadway E. property for $6.35 million in 2017 before renovating it and reshaping its tenant mix, and on the building's second floor he oversaw the conversion of the former Highline space into Emerald City Comedy Club, giving the block layered upstairs-and-downstairs nightlife options. Around the corner on East John Street, Agarwal also owned the historic, 120-plus-year-old former Queen Sheba restaurant building, which suffered vandalism and fires before facing city monitoring fines and a demolition permit filing this spring.
Agarwal's firm, Landmark Event Co., has continued expanding elsewhere in the city too. In January 2025, the company bought the historic three-story Pier 70 on Seattle's waterfront for $11 million to anchor an artificial intelligence startup incubator, according to The Real Deal. Landmark specializes in repurposing historic Seattle properties into event venues, with a portfolio that also includes the MV Skansonia, a former ferry on Lake Union, and the Fremont Foundry.
For now, Capitol Hill regulars can still walk into Blade & Timber and throw axes just as they always have, with the Recess build-out unfolding around them rather than shutting the doors. Whether the added darts, billiards, and arcade games change the neighborhood's late-night habits remains to be seen, but the venue's operators are betting that more ways to play will keep people coming back.
