Rage Room? Sioux Falls entrepreneur creates place to break stuff

She was one of the first to bring the thrill of escape rooms to Sioux Falls, but instead of building tension Kari Black's next concept promises to be a release.

The Sioux Falls entrepreneur and event planner has a vision: throwing plates at painted targets, a room dedicated to breaking objects with baseball bats, maybe a session dedicated to smashing a broken printer to "death," Black said.

But don't worry -- customers of Sioux Falls' first Rage/Smash Room won't be limited to baseball bats.

"Do you want to use a hammer? A bat? a shovel?" Black said.  “What do you want to beat the stuff up with?"

After more than a decade of running her event planning business, Black opened her escape room business Escapades in a semi-trailer in 2017 and later moved to the current storefront near the intersection of Western Avenue and 41st Street.

The Rage/Smash Room is part of her expansion plans as she looks for another location for Escapades and roll out additional concepts for families and groups to puzzle their way through for an afternoon or evening of fun.

The Rage/Smash Room will go live in August or September at Escapades, either at the new space if Black can find one or at its current location, 3313 S. Western Ave, Black said.

Black's business also operates Benson's Flea Market, and Black intends to use the unwanted left-over goods from vendors as breakable objects. 

She based the idea on similar concepts in other markets. People who use the Rage/Smash Room will wear masks and other protective gear, and Black already has limits about what can be broken and is continuing to research other possible safety measures to protect participants.

"We can't do the old round bubble TVs because they’ll, like, explode,” Black said.

People can also supply their own items if they have something they want to smash.

She's planning to offer a variety of different options for individuals who want to use decompress, those who wish to defy social norms or those who want to stop by for a quick release.

"Have a bad day on the job? Come in and bust up this computer," Black said. "Don’t break your real one."