Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa O’Rourke- Owner of The Smash Spot.
Vanessa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
After four years of planning and quite a few attempts, The Smash Spot was finally formed and executed in October 2019. The idea came about five years ago while I was serving in the U.S. Navy. I was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia and was often stressed out and sometimes angry. I remember being so upset once until the point where I picked up a mug to throw at a wall but thought against it. I remember trying to find a space to release my anger but was unsuccessful. From then, I vowed to make one.
A few months later, I came home one evening and found my boyfriend cheating on me with two other women. This led to a physical altercation which resulted in me receiving an assault charge, a brandishing charge and reckless handling of a firearm charge. I avoided felony and domestic charges by pleading guilty. After choosing to plead guilty, I thought the worst part was over. I went on to find out that my life would be that much harder despite being a veteran. Jobs would hire me only to revoke the position after finding out about my convictions, and renting seemed nearly impossible without the help of my mother. I hated the thought of someone else having to go through this as a result of two minutes of “rage”.
Subsequently, I created The Smash Spot because I would much rather someone channel their emotions in a safe, controlled environment to avoid consequences they will ultimately regret.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to getting The Smash Spot up and running was far from smooth. Part of why it took so long to get it established was because of insufficient capital. With only having 26% of my start-up capital, one of the hardest challenges was working with a contractor. As a new entrepreneur, I had never worked with a contractor before and made the mistake of choosing one solely based on price. I essentially got what I paid for and absolutely hated the quality of work. The walls were leaning, the newly painted floors were destroyed, and I was way over budget.
I was devastated and could not fathom opening for business under those conditions. I then hired another contractor to fix it which cost even more money. The funding that went into the renovations depleted my contingency fund and I was running out of money before I even opened for business. After only one month of being open, I was forced to use my personal income to cover the business expenses. This went on for a couple of months before the business began paying for itself. I admit that it wasn’t the best idea going into business without adequate funding, but my passion surpassed rationality and I was determined to make this work.
Please tell us about The Smash Spot.
The Smash Spot held its grand opening on Saturday, October 12, 2019, and about 80 to 100 people were in attendance. The Smash Spot is the first themed rage room in Miami. It is comprised of three themed smash rooms that sequentially tell a story for customers to experience. There is a crime scene room, interrogation room, and soon to be jail. For a fee, people can let out their anger and stress by destroying objects within the space. The type of items customers can break is an assortment of dishware, electronics, and household items. For now, all customers who participate must be 18 years or older. Everyone who signs up to smash is equipped with a full bodysuit, cut-resistant gloves, goggles, and a face visor. Our only requirement is that everyone needs to wear closed-toed shoes.
We are most proud of our originality. We are constantly developing new ideas to make it a memorable experience for our customers. We are also working on expanding our services and partnering up with mental health agencies. One of our aspirations is to make The Smash Spot mobile so that we can travel to other parts of Florida to provide our services and allow everyone to experience destructive therapy.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory was the time that I attended Bow wow’s concert. I remember having the biggest crush on him. I had pictures of him posted all over the walls in my room. I even wrote him a letter that I sent to his recording label. The concert was everything I wanted it to be. This is one of my favorite memories overall because I went with my childhood best friend, Brittany, who passed away a few years ago.
Contact Info:
- Address: 251 NE 166th Street, Miami, FL 33162
- Website: http://www.thesmashspot.com
- Phone: 305-778-0655
- Email: info@thesmashspot.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/thesmashspot_
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/thesmashspot
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/thesmashspot
- Other: http://bit.do/smashspot
Suggest a story: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
