The Wreck Room brings a new way to blow off steam, have fun

As Miles Mapes envisions it, DeKalb’s newest indoor “rec” attraction will be more than just the latest rage.

“DeKalb needs more alcohol-free entertainment options, that are not only age-inclusive, but cost-inclusive, especially indoors when the weather is terrible,” said Mapes. “And we will have several options, all under one roof.”

This fall, Mapes will bring that vision to life, as he opens a new entertainment facility he is calling The Wreck Room.

Slated to open in a 3,000 square-foot space at the Village Commons retail center on Lucinda Avenue in the shadow of Northern Illinois University, The Wreck Room will offer a range of entertainment options, most of which may be targeted for today’s adults, but also family friendly and affordable.

While the name is a play on words, as an alternative way of saying “rec room,” The Wreck Room will also more than earn the literal interpretation of its name, as well, Mapes said.

The facility will be centered on two spaces known as “rage rooms.” In such rooms, for a fee, guests will be allowed to safely vent their “rage,” taking out real world frustrations or merely letting loose some aggressive tendencies by safely smashing, tossing, crushing and crashing a variety of highly breakable objects.

The concept of “rage rooms” is nothing new. Also known as smash rooms or anger rooms, rage rooms slammed into existence in the 2000s in Japan. The popularity of such rooms quickly exploded and within a decade, they had proliferated in the U.S. and around the globe.

Until recently, the rooms had primarily landed in big American cities and their metro areas.

Mapes noted his research showed the nearest rage rooms to DeKalb are to be found in Naperville and Machesney Park, just north of Rockford.

Mapes said The Wreck Room’s rage rooms will be similar in concept to those found elsewhere in the world. Guests will have the opportunity to smash a combination of breakable items commonly found in households and work places. These can include cups, plates, bowls, porcelain and ceramic collectibles, computer components, small appliances and modern televisions, or even furniture and larger electronics

“We unfortunately can’t do old tube TVs or light bulbs, because we don’t want anyone exposed to mercury,” Mapes said.

He said they also will not allow guests to smash items that are of a religious nature or are culturally sensitive. Mirrors will also not be smashed in the rage rooms, out of safety concerns.

At The Wreck Room, guests will be assured that no two smashing experiences will ever be the same. He said guests using the rooms will pay for a box packed with breakables. For additional fees, they can get more boxes or larger items that aren’t so easily packed into cardboard.

But each box will be different, Mapes said, noting the center will have five categories of breakables, and each box will contain four items from each category.

“Our guests will be asked to pick their own box from a stack of boxes,” said Mapes. “They won’t know what’s in it until they open it, and it’s guaranteed to be completely random.”

Guests will also be allowed to bring their own breakables, so long as they are not televisions or subject to the exclusions.

Guests will pay $90 for a two-person package, providing them with two mystery boxes of breakable items.

He said this price point flies under the rates charged by other rage rooms and fits within the affordability range for folks living in and around DeKalb.

“This entire project is centered around the belief that we will provide what the community needs and wants,” said Mapes.

And beyond offering fun, Mapes said The Wreck Room will also provide the community with an unexpected bonus: A place to recycle truckloads of unwanted household items.

He said The Wreck Room will take a wide assortment of unwanted things, from furniture, glassware and other items that people may not be able to sell or offload to others.

“We all know you can’t find anyone to buy grandma’s old china anymore,” said Mapes.

“So we’re asking that, before giving it away to Goodwill or throwing it in the trash, maybe consider giving it to a local business that will pump money back into the local economy and help your friends and neighbors have a chance for a safe, clean good time.”

And Mapes said The Wreck Room will also be willing to accept TVs (so long as they do not include mercury-containing cathode ray tubes, or CRTs) and other electronics, which area residents would otherwise need to pay a fee to dispose of.

“You can think of it as fee-free recycling,” Mapes said.

But guests not looking to “Hulk out” will still find a smashing good time at The Wreck Room, Mapes said.

For families with kids, or those looking to make a mess without destroying anything, The Wreck Room will also offer a splatter room, where guests can fling paint at a canvas - and the walls, of course - with abandon.

The Wreck Room will also offer some much less destructive options.

Mapes said The Wreck Room will include two spaces he is calling vintage video gaming lounges. The rooms will be equipped with couches, chairs, televisions and a variety of old school video gaming systems from the 1990s and 2000s.

“It will feel so much like getting together with buddies back in the day in your basement, or over at a friend’s house, just hanging out and gaming,” said Mapes.

Guests will be able to choose from a variety of consoles, including Sega Genesis, Gamecube, Playstations, Nintendo 64 and the original Xbox, among others.

Mapes said he has even decided to invest in older plasma screen TVs for the lounges, which he said will enhance the recreation by bringing the proper resolution to re-create the look and feel of the vintage gaming experience from the wonder years of the Millennial generation.

For $20 per hour, up to five guests will be able to reserve one of the two gaming lounges and play a wide variety of provided games for the various platforms.

The lounges will also provide a memory card service, allowing guests to save their games and pick up where they left off when they return.

Additionally, The Wreck Room will offer an arcade gaming experience, with a variety of vintage video arcade games and pinball machines acquired, and in some cases, repaired and restored, in partnership with DeKalb’s Star Worlds Arcade.

Arcade games and pinball will be priced at 25 cents to $2 per game, he said.

The arcade area will even include a prize game area and a claw machine stocked with vintage prizes from prior decades, Mapes said.

Guests will not be allowed to bring in food and drinks at this point, but Mapes said The Wreck Room will offer a variety of what he calls “exotic drinks and snacks” from around the world.

He said the spaces can also be rented for private events, at which food and drink can be catered.

Mapes said he intentionally chose the Village Commons for his location.

Mapes, 27, was born and raised in DeKalb, working at the former House Cafe and other local entertainment establishments, before heading to Memphis, Tennessee, for a spell in the early 2020s. He said he recognized the importance of the Village Commons not only to NIU, but DeKalb, as well.

Upon his return, he said he found DeKalb had changed markedly in just the few years he had gone and knew he wanted to bring an entertainment business that could help the community.

He said Village Commons offered an opportunity to make his vision for The Wreck Room accessible to the entire community. Being near NIU, the location would allow college students the opportunity to visit without needing to drive, while providing an easy to find spot with ample parking for all other guests from DeKalb and Sycamore and beyond.

He said the Village Commons further provided The Wreck Room with a bit of entertaining synergy, thanks to neighboring businesses in the facility which provide guests with a variety of food, drink and entertainment options, including Cast Iron Coffee; restaurants including Panda House, Domino’s and Shark’s Fish and Chicken; and the Graham Crackers Comics store.

“All together, with us, it really becomes a fun community hub,” said Mapes.

Mapes said he is targeting an opening date this fall.

The Wreck Room is located at 901 Lucinda Ave., DeKalb. For more information, visit The Wreck Room on Facebook.