Bust-N-Stuff logo
Bust-N-Stuff is a “rage room” in Milwaukee where folks can blow off steam by breaking or smashing objects while wearing protective gear. Located in the Lincoln Warehouse, Bust-N-Stuff opened in 2018 and is both Milwaukee’s first and longest-running business of its kind. Gene Trotter is the owner and “Head Buster” of Bust-N-Stuff.
Formerly a middle school teacher and GED instructor, Gene Trotter first got inspired to open a rage room when he came across a Japanese game show where contestants were running around knocking things over in an office, recalling, “There was a red team and a blue team and people were cheering for them. Then one group won. I couldn’t tell how they won or anything, but I thought it was the funniest thing. I thought how cool it’d be if I could do something like that one day.”
Five years ago, that day for Trotter came.
During his final year of teaching, Trotter realized that the passion necessary for his profession had waned. “I just wasn’t as enthused as you need to be to be a teacher anymore,” he continues. “I talked to my wife and looked into some logistics about the rage room, and she told me to go for it, but that if it doesn’t work out after a year then I need to figure something else out (laughs).”
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Plan of Operation
Photo via Bust-N-Stuff - Instagram
Gene Trotter of Bust-N-Stuff
Gene Trotter of Bust-N-Stuff
Trotter made nearly a hundred phone calls to insurance companies before one told him “maybe.” He presented them with his plan of operation, then went to the city about tax codes, which according to Trotter was humorous because of how niche his idea was. “I would tell them what I was doing, and they’d look at me like I had eight eyes.”
Another impetus for Trotter to open the rage room was learning about Donna Alexander, a Black woman who opened the first-ever rage room in the country back in 1991. Bust-N-Stuff is now the second Black-owned one. “People think that rage rooms are brand new, but they really aren’t,” he notes.
Upon opening, Bust-N-Stuff’s first customers were three elderly women celebrating cancer remission. People come to rage rooms for all sorts of reasons whether they’re celebrating a birthday, having a date night, bonding with coworkers, going through personal stuff or just to have fun.
That said, Bust-N-Stuff has attracted people of all walks of life, as Trotter describes. “I get big people, small people, shy people, gregarious people—people of all faiths and backgrounds … I’m always fascinated to see who signs up and why they’re coming. It’s not my job to ask or pry though; whatever brings them here is personal to them.”
Protective Gear
Photo via Bust-N-Stuff - Facebook
Bust-N-Stuff Bustaporeum
Bust-N-Stuff Bustaporeum
The “Bustaporeum” is open by appointment only. Individual sessions are 25 minutes and start at $46.40. “Busters” sign a waiver upon arriving and are provided protective gear in the form of coveralls, gloves, ear plugs and face shields (which Trotter sanitizes after each session). Each group or individual has the entire place to themselves during their time slot. Bust-N-Stuff accommodates people of all shapes and sizes as well as people with disabilities.
Busters may select a variety of tools such as sledgehammers, lead pipes, golf clubs, baseball bats and hockey sticks to break ceramic plates, shatter glassware, dent file cabinets or whack things at the wall. Trotter typically sources “bustables” from local businesses and scrapyards. Donations are taken but only fully recyclable items are used at Bust-N-Stuff, so no electronics allowed. Busters are encouraged to get creative and interact with as much of the Bustaporeum as possible.
People have all kinds of reactions when coming to Bust-N-Stuff for the first time. “I always get a kick out of people who don’t know what to do, and hey, I get it,” Trotter laughs. “But then I have people who are the thinkers who already have a plan when they go in there - they’ll do something like they’re setting up a dinner table. Then there’s the ones who go in there with a purpose, who will just grab the sledgehammer and just start wailing away; usually they come with a whole playlist ready. My deal is to either help people who don’t know what to do…or just let them loose.”
Trotter’s brother, Chris, created the Bust-N-Stuff logo. Two years in, Trotter introduced a new session called “Buster Art” where busters hit shot glasses full of paint towards a flat slab of metal and can take their creations home; those sessions start at $49 for a half hour. There is Bust-N-Stuff merchandise for sale including shirts, hats and soap. Gift certificates are also available.
Bust-N-Stuff also features a bluetooth speaker so busters may select the music playing during their session. Trotter is often amused by the broad range of music that people choose. “Once I had a husband and wife come in here and the husband choose a mellow Frank Sinatra song. His wife goes “that’s not busting music!” and he replied “well, I’m going to go bust to it, so that makes it busting music” and I thought that just about summed it up for me. I will say, I hear ‘Break Stuff’ by Limp Bizkit more than any song … which I also get (laughs).”
No Advice, Just Space
He makes it clear that he’s not a therapist or a counselor, which is something he’s been mistaken for. “I might hand you a tissue or a bottle of water, but I don’t have advice for people,” Trotter says. “I just have the room.”
Bust-N-Stuff teams up with neighboring businesses New Barons Brewing Cooperative and Component Brewing for their annual fundraiser Bust-A-Car, where busters may come smash a junked vehicle with a sledgehammer. The event raises money for Sojourner Family Peace Center, an organization supporting survivors of domestic violence.
Trotter selected the charity because their cause is important to him, bringing it back to Donna Alexander’s story. “She was a big advocate for women and children who have been through domestic violence, and before I opened—because I wanted to contact her—I found out she had been murdered by her ex-boyfriend in her home. She died from the thing that was most passionate about stopping. That’s a big reason why I donate to Sojourner. They do good things for people.”
While Bust-A-Car has been held over the summer the last two years, it is being planned for fall next year to avoid excessive heat. Bust-N-Stuff is teaming up with Torzala Brewing Company on March 3 for Bust-N-Stigmas, a fundraiser supporting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. It is an all-ages event. Tickets can be purchased here.
Gene Trotter hopes to continue incorporating new ideas into Bust-N-Stuff as time goes on. He concludes, “An actionable good idea is always better than a non-actionable great idea.”
To book an appointment at Bust-N-Stuff, visit bustnstuff.com. The Bustaporeum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays although large groups may be considered.
