IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Winter 2017 | Page 14

INPERSON
South Hills
residents have a
new opportunity
to ‘escape’ the
routine of daily
life, thanks to
a new themed
adventure
business in
Baldwin.
IQ Escape Co-Owners Eric Lloyd
and Melissa Redman.
T
his August, IQ Escape, an escape
room business with locations in
the North Hills and State College,
opened its third location at the Crafthouse
Stage & Grill in Baldwin. The new
location features two brand-new escape
room storylines: “The Pittsburgh Job,” in
which players form a team of elite spies to
search for a painting created by an iconic
Pittsburgh pop artist; and “Excalibur,” in
which players are transported back in time
to Camelot to serve as descendants of the
Knights of the Round Table.
Unlike other area escape rooms, in which
participants must escape a locked space by
solving brain teasers, IQ Escape rooms are
“immersive,” says Melissa Redman, 33, who
co-owns IQ Escape with her fiancé Eric
Lloyd, 35. They both grew up in the North
Hills and now reside in Wexford.
“With our rooms, you’re not locked
in. You don’t need to locate a key to get
out,” she says. “Instead, our storylines
are mission-based, meaning you need to
complete a themed quest in a movie-like
setting.”
The idea for IQ Escape’s immersion
experience was born when Lloyd, a former
accountant, was helping with the finances
of another local escape room business—
owned by Redman’s brother-in-law—and he
discovered how profitable adventure-based
businesses could be. Lloyd and Redman
now work full time on the business.
“It took us a year and a half to build the
business,” says Redman. “We studied the
industry and really wanted to figure out a
way to take it to the next level.”
After finding success with their other
locations, the opportunity to open a new
one in the Crafthouse presented itself.
“The Crafthouse has just opened a
brand-new, awesome bar and they have the
bowling alley there as well,” notes Redman.
“We thought it would be great to partner
with the venue to bring something new and
different to the area.”
“We are really excited to partner with
IQ Escape, recognized as one of the very
best in the business,” says Crafthouse
managing partner Kirk Radziukinas, in a
12 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
statement. “We believe that the addition of
these immersive adventures will offer our
customers new options for entertainment,
making Crafthouse a truly outstanding and
unique place for a night out, a family fun
day, or for a corporate event.”
Escape rooms, which originated in Japan
in 2007, have been surging in popularity in
recent years. Numerous rooms can be found
throughout the Pittsburgh region, including
Downtown, on the South Side and in East
Liberty, as well as in Indiana and Latrobe.
IQ Escape’s games at the Crafthouse are
designed for 2 to 8 players. Each game takes
approximately 40 minutes to complete.
Lloyd and his project manager, Dennis
Michaels, design the games entirely in-
house, from concept to creation.
“We love the opportunity to introduce the
games to people who’ve never heard of them
before,” says Redman. “It’s exciting.”
Reservations are required to participate.
To book online or for more information,
visit iqescape.com. ■