By Kyle Coppola
Axe-Throwing Venue Ax-Caliber Closes Clermont Location
Ax-Caliber, an axe-throwing venue located at 524 West Avenue in Clermont, is officially closing its doors Monday, less than a year after opening to local excitement and strong community support.
(Ax-Caliber opened in November of 2024. They close just 10 months after opening. Photo Credit – Ax-Caliber.)
The business first opened in November 2024 and quickly became a popular gathering spot in downtown Clermont. But in a statement shared by ownership on social media, Ax-Caliber cited financial difficulties following the closure of its original location in downtown Lakeland as the primary reason for shutting down.
According to the owners, the Lakeland location was forced to close earlier this year due to a combination of nearby road closures and a major renovation project at a neighboring Publix. The sudden loss of revenue from the Lakeland site put significant pressure on the Clermont operation.
(This was a modern concept. Ax-Throwing is a growing sport around the USA. Unfortunately the Clermont location could not survive due to the Lakeland facility closing. Photo Credit – Ax-Caliber.)
“Since opening in November 2024, we’ve been overwhelmed by the love and support from the Clermont community,” the management team said in a message. “We truly believed this location would become a cornerstone of downtown, and we are heartbroken it has to end so soon. Please know this was completely out of our control. From all of us at Ax-Caliber, thank you, Clermont. You made this short time unforgettable.”
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
