Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Kallens.
Steve, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I had spent more than 30 years in the horse racing industry as a marketing executive of racetracks. As this industry has continued to decline, I have sought out business opportunities. I discovered escape room in the spring of 2016 just as they were beginning to expand in Florida.
I began seeking a location but suffered several setbacks. I was the primary caretaker of my mom who passed away last summer and then crushed my ankle while working attempting to put this project together. I’ve been in a cast since last November and have had several surgeries.
Unable to do a complete build out of a location, I was able to cut a deal to open up inside the Casino at Dania Beach in January. As a one-person operation with limited mobility, I was not able to get out to properly market the escape room, however, I had a steady flow of customers and nearly all 5 star reviews.
After six months and unable to expand at the casino, I decided that I would concentrate on corporate customers for team building activities and parties at homes, catering halls and most any venues by converting to a mobile pop up game.
In July, I closed the casino location and began my mobile game. I have set up two divisions, one in South Florida and one in Tampa Bay and feel this is the right direction to advance the popularity of escape rooms. I am also in negotiations to partner with a restaurant looking to expand its business in Wynwood.
I now offer companies, offices and parties and events a choice of a 30 or 50 minute comprehensive escape room experience with our custom made high tech devices.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been far from a smooth road. I was living in Delray Beach as a primary caregiver for my mom who was suffering with Alzheimer’s. Fortunately, I had a job in the racing industry that allowed me to work from home. However, that company suffered a major setback due to a change in legislation and I lost my position.
Though I have a most successful corporate resume, finding a career job was next to impossible. I guess my age is a factor. After researching escape rooms, I found a location in West Palm Beach and a partner who was eager to invest.
After two months of preparation to sign a lease and open, the partner went missing in action. It was one of those typical stories you hear in business and it cost me what savings I had left. Then unexpectedly my mom passed away last summer. It took me a few months after that to regroup.
The Casino at Dania Beach gave me a terrific opportunity to open there and get my feet wet. Though, getting my feet wet, turned out meaning breaking my ankle. I was up on a ladder working with one good arm as my other arm barely moved due to torn rotator cuff. That in itself was a story. Though I knew exactly what was wrong since I tore the other one a couple of years earlier and it took an MRI to diagnose it, my current doctor disagreed.
I fell off the ladder and broke my ankle and they sent me home from the hospital with crutches even though I told them I couldn’t use them due to my arm. As I got out of my car, I went to use the crutch and it sent a sharp pain up the arm and my natural reaction was the leg to hit the parking lot. The subsequent result was I “pulverized” the ankle, the words used by the eventual surgeon.
What followed was an indictment of our health care system. I spent two days in the hospital without a doctor coming into see me and then they sent me home and told me to wait a week for the swelling to go down before seeing an orthopedist to set and cast the ankle.
Meantime, after three months, I was finally able to get the MRI for my shoulder and of course it was a torn rotator cuff and because of the time wasted, it could not be reattached. Meantime, I was told my leg was infected and I was going to lose it.
Back to the hospital, I finally was seen by a specialist and they had to operate within 24 hours. That was last November and three surgeries ago and just last week, I was told I’ll be in some form of a cast until this November.
As I mentioned, as a one person business, I’ve not been able to get out to market the business nor expand. Hopefully, with some new backers now, I can get things moving again despite my medical situation.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Puzzle Room Escape Pop Up – what should we know?
Puzzle Room Escape is one of at least three dozen escape room attractions that have opened in the last year in South Florida. Escape Rooms are themed games where groups of players are locked in a room or several rooms and need to solve a series of games, puzzles, clues and challenges to “escape” within a set time.
Though the original games and most of the new rooms have scary themes, my first room is a fun and entertaining set up, though one of the most challenging in the market.
Our theme is you’ve come to see a mythical band for the greatest concert in history. You and your group have been invited to party in The Green Room, where stars hang out before a show. If you can solve all the challenges in an hour, you win front row seats to the biggest event of all time.
The Green Room unlike many other escape rooms features a number of high tech locking devices instead of just the traditional padlocks and combination locks. You won’t know they are locks or puzzles to solve until you are successful, but that makes them that much more thrilling when you do get the opened or solved.
Our room is big on the entertainment side with music, videos, costumes and special effects throughout the game. Though escape rooms are called the first interactive game where millennials are willing to put their devices down for an hour to play together, it has proven just as popular with all age groups from 10 and up.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The Casino at Dania Beach and its CEO Scott Savin was a lifesaver for me. By giving me use of his VIP room, I was able to get open despite all of my setbacks. I would have loved to expand there, but it wasn’t to be. However, it gave me six critical months to hone the game, get customer feedback and evaluate the market.
As a result, I became sold on going to events and corporations instead of them coming to me. I’ve had terrific reviews from all of my groups which have come from all over the country, especially during the tourist season. Numerous companies have played for the team building aspect that escape rooms are perfect for. Companies like Chewy.com and their enthusiasm playing convinced me that we have a great concept and an exciting future.
Pricing:
- Our average price is about $12 per person for our pop up game at your venue or office.
- The average Escape room charges about $30 per person, so we have tremendous value.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.PuzzleRoomEscape.com
- Phone: 754-252-3477
- Email: info@PuzzleRoomEscape.com
- Instagram: -The-Puzzle-Room
- Facebook: PuzzleRoomEscape
- Twitter: @Navinpuzzle
- Yelp: Puzzle Room Escape
- Other: Puzzle Room Escape on Google
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
