‘Buzz on in’ for burgers, pizza, suds, ice cream and axe-throwing
Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
Hungry? The Happy Hive’s Buzzin Suds & Bad Axes has you covered. Order a slice of pizza, a scoop of ice cream, or an Angus burger. Need to work off some energy? Grab an axe and give it a throw in the axe building. Feeling creative? Head over to the Bee Splattered paint room.
Since opening in 2018, the Happy Hive has expanded from a cafe and ice cream shop to become an all-ages entertainment venue in Crawford County.
Owners and sisters Michele King and Cheri Banet are working hard to create the kind of place where local people will come to instead of going out of town for fun and where visitors to nearby Marengo Cave and Cave Country Canoes will stop by, or as they like to say, “buzz on in.”
Located on South State Road 66 in Marengo, the Happy Hive began as a revitalization effort by Banet and King’s daughter with King helping out.
Locals remember when the building was the T-Mart, a local mom and pop grocery store and gas station that was a local hub for years.
The T-Mart closed and several businesses tried to make a go of it in the building. The building had been vacant for several years when the Happy Hive opened.
“The T-Mart had been a big booming thing and catered to the whole community,” King said. “We wanted to revive the building that had been an icon, keep dollars in the county and give people things to do.”
King said locals looking for entertainment often travel to Jasper, New Albany or Louisville.
Axe-idental success
In 2021, the owners began work on an axe-throwing building behind the Happy Hive. They received a license to serve beer and wine and the axe building with five throwing lanes (each lane can accommodate up to six people) opened in June 2022.
The response has been overwhelmingly positive with axe-throwing popular for birthday, bachelor and bachelorette parties, company retreats and friend groups.
“When we first announced it (on social media), it had 9,000 shares and views,” King said.
They now have a mobile trailer with two throwing lanes that they can take to festivals and drive to on-site rentals. The sisters also changed the name to Happy Hive’s Buzzin Suds & Bad Axes.
The sport of axe throwing has mushroomed in the past 10 years with leagues all across the country and thousands of men and women competing in sanctioned events such as those organized by the World Axe Throwing League (WATL).
King said she and her sister invited a throwing competitor from WATL to come to the Happy Hive and offer training and safety instruction so they can help customers new to the sport.
Throwing an axe isn’t necessarily hard, King said. Having sharp aim isn’t so much about strength as it is rotation.
For first-timers, the sport can be intimidating, but that soon wears off.
“It’s a lot of fun, you feel empowered. It’s just a thrill that you don’t have a lot of times – and it makes you feel like a bad axe,” she quipped.
Jesse Belcher, interim director of the Crawford County Economic Development Corp., said it’s been good for the community to see a business thriving in the beloved old T-Mart. Through hard work and originality, King and Banet have brought something unique to Marengo.
“Rather than a new T-Mart, the Happy Hive has become one of the most interesting and varied businesses around, and has become a real attraction for the county,” Belcher said. “They have also been big supporters of the community, especially the schools, and we all really appreciate that too.”
Bee Splattered
In the spring of 2022 while work continued on the axe building, the Happy Hive opened Bee Splattered across the street.
Created as “an open splatter room,” artists of all skill levels are provided canvases and paint with the option of creating splatter art or taking a more traditional approach.
King said classes for adults and kids are also offered, with a class planned for Nov. 12.
The Happy Hive also has a gift area that sells jewelry, soaps, T-shirts and hand-made sweets.
There is a large outdoor area and the Hive has a supply of games for families to play. Over the summer, a few bands performed live.
The menu offers a variety of pleasing options with burgers, pizza and chicken the most popular, but there’s also a breaded tenderloin, fish basket and gluten-free fare.
The sisters also offer catering services. With so much going on, there’s not much time for rest.
“Every dime we make, we put back into the business,” King said. “We don’t take home a paycheck. We’re constantly trying to upgrade things and bring more in to offer the community.”
Happy Hive hours
The restaurant is open Wednesday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Monday and Tuesday.
The Happy Hive’s Buzzin’ Suds and Bad Axes is open Friday 4 to11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 11 to 5 p.m. Last booking for axes on Friday and Saturday is 10pm and Sunday is for 4pm. Call in advance for larger parties.
A military family with several members having served, Happy Hive offers discounts to first responders and the military.
For more information, https://www.happyhive.net/contact