New Business: Rage Cage moves to larger space; Earthbound Trading opens first NH location

Aug. 16—DESTROYING THINGS can be fun and therapeutic.

Rage Cage NH now offers more space to do so in moving into the former Headlines Boutique, 37 E. Hollis St. in Nashua.

Tedd Cherry opened up the unique business, where customers can smash things, at the tail end of the pandemic.

"We kind of outgrew that space in the first six months," he said. "I looked around for years trying to find a place that could accommodate us."

Unlike other "rage rooms," Rage Cage allows customers to shop for the items they would like to destroy, making it more personal. On a recent afternoon, two women in their 20s selected a washing machine as a $25 add-on. The activity requires a signed waiver.

Two of the walls are decked out with VHS tapes and newspapers from between the 1920s and 1970s.

Cherry has some repeat customers.

"I have this one guy who comes in at least once a month on a Sunday," he said. "He is in recovery for alcohol and says it is one of the things that keeps him sober. It helps him deal with some of his pent-up energy and aggression."

The business is now working on a package where an entire office will be set up to allow people to really go to town. This would be computers, desks, filing cabinets, phones and printers.

Another aspect of the business is glow-paint splatter rooms, where people don white jumpsuits and toss neon paint at each other or a canvas. Some show up with custom T-shirts to remember the moment.

The space includes larger rage rooms, two paint-splatter rooms and party rooms.

"We don't consider ourselves just a rage room anymore," Cherry said. "We want to be a destination. It is not just people coming from Nashua, we have people coming from northern Maine, Vermont, North Shore, everywhere to come to see us."

Mall momentum

Earthbound Trading Co., a fashion retailer known for its bohemian and hippie feel, has opened its first New Hampshire location at The Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem. The store was founded in 1994 as a "modest rock and mineral shop," according to a news release.

The brand is expected to also open at the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua this October.

The store now offers a full range of unique items, such as home décor pieces, meditation essentials, textiles, stones, jewelry, accessories, clothing and more.

"With its incredible selection of trendy merchandise, Earthbound Trading Company amplifies our tremendous lineup of unique and first in market experiences for shoppers," Elizabeth Tetreault, area director of marketing, said in a statement.

The Pheasant Lane Mall recently held a ribbon cutting for the remodeled Victoria's Secret. The mall also welcomed Mercado and Squishables.

The Mall at Rockingham Park recently welcomed FP Movement and Anthropologie and DICK's House of Sport are expected to open this fall.

Live Free and ...

A new smoke shop is planned for 2650 Brown Ave. in Manchester, with a New Hampshire-centric name: Live Free and Smoke.

The owner needed to get approval from the zoning board last month to be able to sell "general goods" out of the former restaurant, Beijing Cuisines.

Same family, different name

The former Pour Decisions Brewing spot at 500 Laconia Road in Tilton is now Casa Lago Cantina, which offers burgers, pasta and bowls. The new restaurant opened on Aug. 8. It is a sister restaurant of Casamigos, which has locations in Concord and Tilton.

The menu at Casa Lago Cantina is completely different, according to a Facebook post.

The place was overhauled with a larger bar, new booths and multicolor metallic epoxy resin floors.

Some of the menu items include quesa birria tacos and the tropical bowl, a fusion of sweet and spicy with coconut habanero shrimp with white rice, mango pico, avocado, strawberries and cheese.

Have an idea for New Business? Email reporter Jonathan Phelps at jphelps@unionleader.com.