Rage room “Lets Destroy It” opens its doors (2024)

“We were driving down Main Street, and I was mad about something. I had seen a YouTube video about a place, and I wished I had something to break.” Crystal Lewellyn recalled. “Nobody had a place like that, so I’m like, okay, I’m going to do it.”

Crystal and her husband Shaun, of Minot, took their time realizing their concept, but moved quickly once office space became available.

“Initially we tried to run it out of our garage, but obviously the noise made that an issue with the city.” Shaun Lewellyn said.

Rage rooms provide a venue where individuals or groups can vent anger and frustration on dishes, furnishings, appliances, and electronics. To sum up the experience, it’s the thrill of having fun doing something that, while benign, would absolutely never be condoned by civilized society.

Charles Crane/MDNA doomed printer lays amidst the carnage left after an average session at the rage room, “Lets Destroy It,” which opened its doors in Minot this week.

Rather than be enraged by an escape room, or limit yourself to just throwing axes, why not destroy a whole living room instead? It’s generally frowned upon to work out your rage from the day by taking a golf club to an old TV, or smashing a malfunctioning multifunction printer/scanner right out of the movie “Office Space.” But for $40, an individual can suit up and destroy as much as they can in 30 minutes.

With the keys to their space at 300 30th Ave. NW in hand, the pair have moved quickly to prepare the two rooms, and acquire all of the items to be destroyed: plates, vases, beer growlers, whisky bottles, printers, monitors, TVs, and many assorted other things that are fun to smash and destroy. “Lets Destroy It” sources their items from a variety of vendors and donations, with a majority of the items in their storage coming during garbage week.

“I still have people calling me, letting me know when they’re leaving their stuff out. I think I’ve spent $300 in fuel in two weeks just driving around picking stuff up.” Crystal Llewellyn said.

“Lets Destroy It” provides coveralls, face shields, and hard hats for their customers, but does require all participants to sign a waiver. Once you are suited up, for the next 30 minutes it’s free for all, while you tee off on glasses and vases with a pickaxe.

The rage room does have an age limit of 10 and up, with anyone under the age of 18 requiring an adult caretaker to be present. An open house will take place sometime in July, but “Lets Destroy It” is open for office team building exercise or solo session. The Lewellyns made it clear that more features and options will become available as they get settled in, with the largest future addition being a paint splatter room for children ages 3 and up.

“It’s fun. This is something for the community to do. All our lives were told ‘don’t mess with this, don’t smash that’ or you’re going to have a mess to clean up.” Crystal Llewellyn said, “This way, they’re staying safe, and we clean up the mess.”