By Taylor Chartrand

Medicine Hat’s next escape room is in the works

Dec 2, 2018 | 4:26 PM

Medicine Hat, AB – There’s a new business opening up in Medicine Hat that is currently under construction.

The Clued Inn looks to be the fourth escape room business aiming to spice up the nightlife here in Medicine Hat.

Co-owner Sandra Johnson said she believes residents deserve more to do in the city.

“I kind of feel like there’s not a lot to do in Medicine Hat. You have bowling, you have the movies but truly, entertainment is sparse. Really, there are a couple other escape rooms but I know once you do one, you want to do more and now this gives people a variety.”

Johnson then added that they’re only trying to add to the list of things to do.

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“We’re not trying to ruin anybody, we’re not trying to put anybody out of business. We just want to add to the mix. Like I said, once you do one, you want to do more and when you’ve done them all, it really leaves you hanging.”

And believe it or not, the stories for these escape rooms are rather costly.

“Stories are expensive to buy. They are generally $1,000 or more and because of that we decided to write our own.”

She then added that writing their own stories is going fairly well.

“We’ve had a lot of people pitch ideas for us, so it does make it a little easier that way. We’re an inn, so every room ties into the next. There is no order that you have to do them in, but you’ll notice every room has a connection.”

When it comes to opening this business, Johnson said the reasoning was simple.

“Because I love the community, I love Medicine Hat. I’ve lived here for almost forty years and the people deserve this. In times when it’s not so economical to go and do big things, it’s fun to have something smaller to do.”

The Clued Inn will be opening above The Post, where the former gym used to be.

The other co-owner, Jeremy Eberwein said this location was perfect for their operations.

“This space itself used to be a gym and is roughly 6800 square feet. We wanted a good location with good visibility. Something with easy access and parking. This building was the right place at the right time.”

In addition to the building, Eberwein said there was a ton of other research involved in opening this business.

“We spent probably about six months compiling our research. Finding out the best avenue to approach it, what the latest crazes are, just to stay on top of things.”

That research involved a little bit of fun as well.

“Well, I’ve been to quite a few escape rooms in Calgary. Sandra, her boyfriend and I also went to a ton of escape rooms just for something fun to do. That wasn’t even during the planning stages either.” 

The hours for The Clued Inn have yet to be set and Eberwein said they are hopeful they can open three rooms by December 15th. 

“We’re basically hoping to be open Thursday through Sunday. Maybe a bit more through the week if the need calls for it. Hopefully, we can have this place opened in the middle of December but we’ve got a ton of work to do.”