All the rage: Yo! Crash’s new experience — mobile rage rooms — are now in the Valley
Stress is inevitable. But trying to navigate can be fun — if you’re willing to have an open mind.
Yo! Crash owner and Youngstown native Mara D. Cunningham launched a business that lets you take the edge off. The mobile rage room provides residents a safe and family-friendly space to melt their cares away.
Rage rooms, also known as anger rooms and smash rooms, provide environments where people can dispel their feelings by destroying objects.
“I wanted to start a company that would help my community in a fun and unconventional way that was unique to me. I came across the concept of rage rooms and the impact destruction therapy can have, and I hit the ground running,” Cunningham said.
Launched in March 2020, Yo! Crash introduces a fresh and exciting experience for residents. A fan favorite is the brand’s “rage room experience,” which includes a variety of objects like electronics, plates, glasses and cars that customers can choose from.
On a deeper level, Cunningham’s business presents a low-cost resource for community members to unwind and unplug from their everyday lives.
“Yo! Crash is such a cathartic experience that customers will feel a wide range of emotions and senses,” she said. “I hope my customers can detach from any negative energy attached to their emotions and move forward with a clearer mind.”
Introducing a new paradigm to the market
Bringing any new product to market presents business owners with many expenses and potential risks. While the gains may potentially outweigh these risks, starting up amid the pandemic presented Cunningham with a peculiar challenge.
“Introducing such a new concept to so many people has been an enjoyable yet humbling task. We’ve overcome that by introducing our business as simply as we can: ‘You come and you break stuff,’” she said. “We allow customers to ask questions and make what they want of the business.”
As an African-American small business owner in such a unique market, she and her team worked to develop an outside-of-the-box approach for sustainability by moving from a traditional storefront at the Eastwood Mall and making the business mobile in December 2020.
“The location we were in took a huge hit in walking traffic and business during and after the quarantine,” Cunningham said.
In addition to transitioning her business location, Cunningham focused her energy on merchandising and social media outreach to maintain her connection with Yo! Crash’s target demographic.
“A part of what makes my business successful is knowing my target audience, being unique and staying consistent with my branding. My customers know what to expect, and after thorough research, I know what to expect from my customers,” she said. “Yo! Crash falls in the disruptive marketing pillar for its unique and unexpected nature, so we continue to market in the way that best suits our business.”
Demystifying mental health for the youth
Cunningham’s business is reaffirming the need to address an unspoken truth: that normalizing mental health treatment is critical to ensuring healthier communities. Her driving force is to increase awareness in vulnerable populations that need it the most.
“Our legacy will include widening the access to mental health services in our local schools and businesses while continuing to give back to the members that make up our community,” she said. “Yo! Crash will change the mental health stigma and continue to offer a fun spin on entertainment venues for years to come.”
Additionally, customers can soon expect the company to reopen a storefront in the near future. Cunningham also has plans to share a new stress-free product line.
This story was originally published July 4, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
