Winery, ax-throwing center coming to Roanoke after City Council approves permits

Roanoke City Council members unanimously approved permits for a winery and an ax-throwing center during their Dec. 7 meeting.

The new winery is called Wine:30, and the ax-throwing center is called Flannel Jax’s. Both are set to open in early March 2021.

Wine:30, located at 400 S. Oak St., will be a wine-tasting room with a focus on wines made from Texas vineyards as well as a few specialties from other regions and countries. Owners Tim Hamilton and Annett Van Grinsven said they hope their business will be a place people can go to relax.

“We enjoyed going to Fredericksburg, and we saw the wine rooms down there and how they they bring a good atmosphere of people coming in and just enjoying a glass of wine while enjoying the friendship of other people,” Hamilton said. “And we thought that'd be a great addition here to the city of Roanoke.”

Ax-throwing center Flannel Jax’s will be located at 1212 Hwy. 377, No. 103. The franchise store will be owned and run by husband and wife Ryan Fuller and Cindy Brown.

“Neither of us are all that creative, so we pursued an opportunity to open a franchise,” Fuller said. “We met with a number of different franchises and met with [Flannel Jax’s] and actually went and threw axes for the first time as a part of the franchise exploratory process, and we had such a great time. We figured if we enjoyed it, others would enjoy it, and it's something we can make money at.”

Fuller and Brown both have a background in HR and are hoping to use their skills to host team-building events and corporate events as well.

City Council also voted unanimously for Holly Gray-Moore to be Mayor Pro-Term. Gray-Moore, who was re-elected to another term on Nov. 3, has been on the City Council since 2002.