Mad Props
Thank you so much for being an early supporter of Riddlehaven Escape Rooms—we’re thrilled to have you along for the ride! Here are the latest bits and bobs from the halls of Riddlehaven…
The mandatory giant check photo. That’s me on the left and REDC President Laurel Adams on the right.
Ginormous Ambitions Need Ginormous Checks
On Thanksgiving, I really do like to reflect on the things I am thankful for—even beyond the fact that you can eat a vegetable dish with marshmallows on it without anyone batting an eye.
This year, I’m grateful for the business advice, mentoring, and training I have received from local organizations like SCORE, The Center for Women & Enterprise, and the NH Small Business Development Center. And I’m excited to share that Riddlehaven has received financial assistance in the form of two grants—a $5,000 equipment grant and a $5,000 business plan competition prize from the Regional Economic Development Center (REDC).
These grants are a major boost as we build this dream, and they’re also a reminder of how much support is out there for small businesses. If you’ve ever considered starting your own venture, take heart that you don’t have to do it alone—there are many resources to help guide you along the way!
Location Update
We’re this close to securing our location in Dover, NH. While nothing is finalized yet, we’re optimistic that we’ll have some big news to share very soon! Maybe Santa will bring us a lease for Christmas?
More (Learning) Curves Than a Nissan Ad
We’re committed to having props that fit perfectly into our stories and environments, which means that they can’t be bought off the shelf. Luckily, we love a good, over-complicated DIY project (or several hundred of them…), and we’ve jumped right into the building phase by adding a 3D printer to our toolkit.
Our Bambu Lab A1 has been happily humming along in our dining room workshop, building our wildest ideas one extruded layer at a time. I’ve been learning how to use a free CAD program called Onshape to design the printed parts. For anyone who likes to make and tinker, I highly recommend trying out a 3D printer—it’s a treasure chest of possibilities!
A 6-part lantern prop modeled in Onshape.
A 3D-printed electric eel that I did not attempt to model myself. (Sometimes it makes more sense to pay an expert.)
Thank you again for joining us on this adventure. Your support means the world to us, and we can’t wait to bring Riddlehaven to life so you can come play! Be sure to follow us on Instagram @riddlehaven.escapes for more behind-the-scenes peeks and progress updates.
Until next time,
Kim
