A new local business is hoping to challenge patrons’ knowledge and skills.
Mythik Games Inc., owned by Bonnyville residents Myk Morris and Brad Brusdeilins, is aiming to open their doors mid-August.
“I’ve had a dream of opening a place like this since I was a teenager,” expressed Brusdeilins.
Morris added, “It won’t be like work because you’re there socializing, learning, and playing new games whenever you want. You’re putting your mind to work planning new escape rooms and challenges.”
The business will be located at 4716 50 Ave., in the basement of the Bonnyville Executive Centre. It will feature escape rooms, board games, and a café, offering snacks, sandwiches, coffee, and pop.
According to Morris, the first escape room is ready to go and the second is in the planning phases.
“We’re going to start with opening the first one, and if it goes over fairly well, then we’re going to keep progressing into our next one. But, it might change what we do and how we present it,” he explained.
Mythik Games is hoping to offer up to five escape rooms with a common area where people can play a variety of board games and enjoy the café.
When brainstorming potential storefronts, Morris described Bonnyville as a hub that was lacking what they had to offer.
“There’s really nothing else like this in the area. You can go to St. Paul, there’s a game place (there). You can go to Cold Lake, and there’s an escape room, but Bonnyville people have to travel to do that, and it’s just kind of nice that we can bring it here.”
An obstacle they faced was finding a spot to open up shop. Brusdeilins noted there either wasn’t enough room for what they envisioned, or the space wasn’t suitable for what they had in mind.
Once they decided to move ahead with the lower level of the Executive Centre, they had another issue: a lack of parking. The Town of Bonnyville requires a business of this size to have a minimum of 35 parking spots. Mythik Games was facing a nearly $42,000 fine, which town council decided to waive.
“We wouldn’t have been able to open up in Bonnyville,” Morris exclaimed. “We would have ended up in Cold Lake, which is what has seemed to have happened in the past… But, even if we were to pay that amount, it wouldn’t change the parking.”
Morris and Brusdeilins stressed the importance of giving back to local organizations and groups through their latest endeavour.
“We’re about community. As such, we want to make sure there’s community events and involve the community as much as we can,” detailed Morris. “We want to run after school programs, and we want to get involved with some of the teachers so they know that this is available.”
Morris originally came up with the idea for the store roughly five years ago with his friend, Colbie Grieve, who will be the general manager once they open.
“(The vision) came about in the midst of this digital revolution we’re living in,” explained Grieve. “It seems like there’s been more of a disconnect than ever before. The more connected we become with technology, we become more disconnected with the human beings around us.”
It wasn’t until Morris moved to Bonnyville and met Brusdeilins that the dream became a reality, and they were able to move ahead.
“I had actually done a ton of research on this over the past few years, watching the trends grow… Usually, places are doing one or the other. There’s either a board game café or an escape room. I thought, ‘well, why couldn’t we do both?’ It’s similar and it’s entertainment,” Morris exclaimed.
With their opening day quickly approaching, Brusdeilins and Morris have big plans for the business and are excited to see what the future has in store.
