Rochester-based iSmash franchising locations nationwide

ROCHESTER, N.Y. A local business where you bash everything in sight is booming.

iSmash is not only expanding locally but it’s going national too. Sometimes, you need to let a little rage out and that’s what iSmash has capitalized on.

“You pretty much just get to go to town on all the stuff,” explains owner Steven Shortino. “It’s a great night out, date night, stress reliever.”

Shortino started the business locally in 2018 and since then, he’s opened a second location in Syracuse.

“I’ve had a lot of family help throughout the way,” he tells News10NBC. “My father helped me out a lot in the beginning. My mother and sisters have worked here pretty much since day one. Even my grandparents are here helping out doing stuff for the company so it’s great to have this be a family operation.”

Smashers watch a safety video and gear up in safety equipment before bashing old electronics, glassware and color bombs. For folks looking for something a little less intense or for families with little ones who want to participate, iSmash also has black light neon painting rooms and ax throwing.

Whatever customers prefer, it seems what’s going on inside the Henrietta location is catching the attention of folks elsewhere.

“I was getting a lot of attention from other owners around the country, people that wanted to know how I was doing it, how the business was so successful and I was like man, I have two locations… why don’t I start franchising,” Shortino says.

So, that’s what he did.

“We sold our first franchise in 2022 in Tampa and I’m happy to say we’ve sold three franchises just this year in Long Island, Houston and Las Vegas,” Shortino says. “We’re pretty much like the mother ship here, every store that opens that’s an iSmash around the county is going to look very similar to the one in Rochester. We pretty much give them the entire blueprint on how to open and operate this business.”

A business built on letting customers get some rage out by breaking stuff in a way that also helps recycle it into something new.

“I have big goals,” Shortino says. “I want to get to 100 stores one day and I think it’s definitely doable.”