Jun. 26—GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE — The Entertainment Mafia GOTL received a welcome to the village on Saturday as the Ashtabula Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for the new business on the Strip.

Owners Joe Fusco, of Hermitage, Pa., worked with John Niemi, manager, and Quintin Burroughs to create a unique business between two restaurants on the eastern side of the Strip.

"We are trying to make fun in Geneva-on-the-Lake," Fusco said before the ribbon cutting. He said there are four different parts to the business that seeks to bring families together for some stress-reducing fun.

He said there are "smash rooms" where people can wail on things to reduce stress but not have to clean up the mess. Fusco said there are also ax tossing booths, a unique golf simulator and escape rooms.

"[The escape rooms] go from easy to medium to hard, and easy is not easy," he said with a laugh. The business has been created in a building that has been used for storage for many years.

"We totally converted it," Fusco said. He said they hope to make the business a year-round operation.

He said the "smash rooms" are also good exercise. "It is a lot like being on an exercise bicycle for 20 minutes," Fusco said.

The business is in a building that was a burlesque theater back in the 1930s, Fusco said.

He said he owns a cottage in North Kingsville. "I've been coming here for 30 years," Fusco said.

Greg Church, executive director of the AACC, welcomed the new business to the area. "I am excited about what this business can mean to the Strip and to the county," he said before the ribbon cutting.

Geneva-on-the-Lake Mayor Dwayne Bennett also welcomed the new business. "We want to thank them for their investment in the community," he said.

John Niemi, the manager of the business, said it has been five months of hard work to prepare for the opening. "How could we go wrong with an old burlesque theater," he said with a laugh.

Fusco's five-year-old son Vinnie did the ribbon cutting honors with an oversized pair of scissors.