mobanmarketFARMINGDALE, NY — iSmash is celebrating its grand opening in Farmingdale on Friday.
People can release pent up anger and aggression by smashing items, splattering paint and throwing axes at 334 Main Street, where the old Chase Bank was. People must be 13 or older for axe throwing; 8 or older for smashing; and at least 3 for splatter paint. Private parties, birthdays and corporate events will be available.
There are smashing rooms and paint rooms of varying sizes. The smash rooms contain bats, hammers and crowbars that people can use to bust up bottles, electronics and car windshields. A bulls-eye is painted in each smash room for people to hurl axes at. Paint rooms are glow-in-the-dark, and the walls will not remain white for much longer.
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Melissa Matassa, owner of the Farmingdale location, said it feels “pretty good” to open after she found herself intrigued by franchise owner Steve Shortino’s concept.
“I think this is something that Farmingdale will definitely enjoy, as well as the island,” Matassa told Patch. “It’s something different, it’s something new. As Long Islanders, we love the next best thing. To me, this is the next best thing. I know it will definitely get people excited about not just going out to a bar or out to eat, but having an activity to do when you have a night out with the family or on a date.”
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Customers pick a package, don protective gear, and get to smashing or paint hurling.
Matassa feels people will be excited to have an activity to do in Farmingdale before or after going to one of the village’s many restaurants or bars.
“In going to the village meetings, the village itself was very excited about the idea,” she said. “They want more for people to do. I think [Farmingdale Mayor Ralph Ekstrand] has done a real nice job here at promoting that. Having a business in another location, they’ve made it very easy for us to open and get started. I’m excited for that.”
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Shortino told people to not be shy and instead come out and try iSmash.
“This definitely isn’t some kind of place just for crazy, angry people,” Shortino said. “The vast majority of our customers are coming here to have fun or have a good time. So don’t be shy. We’re reasonably priced. It’s really just a cool place to come, hang out and have a blast … There’s a misconception with rage rooms where people think you’re going to walk in and everybody is screaming and yelling and they’re all angry when they walk in. It’s really just groups of people who are laughing and having fun.”
Shortino said iSmash gained “serious traction” during the coronavirus pandemic, though.
“Everyone was kind of cooped up in their house and had a lot of pent-up energy and rage,” he said. “It’s kind of funny how those two things coincided: our spike in business with the global pandemic.”
iSmash targets a younger demographic, Shortino said, but he gets a “very wide spectrum” of customers. Families, co-workers hosting team-building events, friend groups and couples all want to smash some stuff.
“It’s not constricted to one age group. I think that’s something that’s great about the business,” he said.
Farmingdale marks the fourth iSmash location. Ten others are in development. Other stores are in Tampa Bay, Syracuse and Rochester.
Matassa has known the people who opened the Tampa Bay location her whole life and recalls their excitement of telling her about it. Matassa took her two oldest children to the Syracuse location.
“They both said to me after we smashed for about 10 minutes, ‘You have to do this,'” Matassa said. “It’s a family business for all of us to participate in.”
Matassa looked at a lot of communities before choosing Farmingdale. The space and open floor plan of the old Chase Bank were beneficial. Location was key, however.
“Farmingdale is the middle of the island,” Matassa said. “I’ve got Nassau on this side and Suffolk on that side. I’ve got the South Shore and the North Shore. I’ll say it a million times. If you say Main Street in Farmingdale, people know where it is. I think that’s important for your marketing.”
Shortino was shown a video of a New York City rage room by his friend in 2017.
“I thought it was kind of stupid at the time,” he said. “I started looking it up and saw there were people legitimately making money off this. There were quite a few places open that were doing this. I saw there wasn’t anything like it around me and I was kind of looking to get involved in something a little different.”
He opened his inaugural iSmash in Rochester in 2018. Syracuse opened in 2021. Then he started franchising a year later.
“Farmingdale is number four, and we’re definitely very excited to get this one rolling,” he said.
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