At Smash Avenue, it’s a joy to destroy
Rage room encourages visitors to break everything in sight
With the pandemic, social unrest and a contentious election, anxiety is the overwhelming mood of 2020. But where many people see despair, Shaun Chambers saw a business opportunity. At Chambers’ business, Smash Avenue in West Hartford, people with pent-up frustration can spend 20 minutes in a room, smashing everything in sight.
Whack bottles with a baseball bat. Demolish a phone with a golf club. Slam a hammer into a TVscreen. Throw a keyboard against the wall.
“In a scary world, it’s a safe outlet. You can laugh, cry, scream, smash things. It’s a judgment-free zone,” Chambers said.
Katie Jones of Rocky Hill visited Smash Avenue, at 635 New Park Ave. Like everyone, Jones is taking it one day at a time. She is concerned about coronavirus. Her small business is struggling. She is home-schooling her child. Her father is sick.
“We live in such a stressful time,” she said.
She came with Yamil Alica of Windsor. “The stress lingers on me,” Alica said.
‘That felt good’
The women went into a 10-foot-by-25-foot room, shut the door, put on protective gear, turned up their music and started smashing.
Alica took an axe to an old door, reducing it to shards. Jones took batting practice with liquor bottles, against a wall painted with a target. Alica bashed a printer to pieces, like those guys in “Office Space.” Together, the women obliterated a big-screen TV.
“That felt good,” Jones said after. “It’s cheaper than therapy,” Alica added.
In the other room, Trisila Tirado of Hartford and her 13-year-old son, Marcus Ross, laid waste to boxes full of crockery and glassware. Chunks of wood flew as Marcus repeatedly slammed a putter into an old wooden drawer, leaving no pieces larger than a playing card.
“Don’t forget to yell ‘fore,’ “Tirado said.
Tirado enjoyed the spree. “I work in partnership with schools. My job has been hard. I come here and just let it go,” she said.
‘COVID-proof’ business
Chambers also co-owns Body Roc, a fitness facility with locations in West Hartford and Avon. The pandemic has hurt his business.
“They cut capacity of gyms to 50%. I still have 100% of the expenses but only 50% of the revenue,” he said. “I was looking for other opportunities, ones that are COVID-proof.”
He heard about “rage rooms,” a growing worldwide trend. Chambers prefers the phrase “stress room.” “It’s not always rage. It’s more anxiety and stress. The world is in such a state right now,” he said.
Smash Avenue’s logo — a simple smiling face, with paint dripping from its smile — even reflects the current state of anxiety. “He’s a nice guy but his smile is literally falling off. Half of him is trying to be optimistic but he’s borderline going crazy,” Chambers said.
Up to four people, 11 and older, can use a room at a time. All must arrive in long-sleeved shirts, long pants and closetoed shoes. In the rooms, all must wear helmets, face shields and two layers of gloves. Coveralls are optional. Everyone must sign a waiver and bring their own music, to blast as loud as they want on Bluetooth speakers.
Chambers sweeps, cleans and sanitizes the rooms between each session.
Prices range from $31.99 to $95.99 per person for a 15- to 20-minute session. The more a customer pays, the more they are given to smash, and the larger the items are. Sessions at the higher price range are recorded on camera. A highlight reel comes with the price.
Chambers said he gets the smashables and weapons, free or at very low cost, from bars, recycling companies, online shops. He said anyone who has breakable things or smashing weapons they want to get rid of can contact him at smashavenue.com to donate them.
Smash Avenue is open Thursdays and Fridays 5 to 8 p.m., Saturdays noon to 8 p.m. and Sundays noon to 6 p.m. To book a session, visit smashavenue.com.