With the clock winding down and one final clue still out of reach, Mike and Daniela Walker of MindTrix pushed to solve the last riddle. The buzzer beat them to it. Though they didn’t escape, the experience delivered the exciting, immersive challenge they had been hoping to find – right here in their own community.
The adventure began in 2015 when Mike and Daniela, a married couple, tried their first escape room as a family outing. What began as a holiday pastime with relatives across the country transformed into a business built around fun, storytelling, and community. “My wife is originally from Bulgaria, and the industry at the time was more mature,” Mike explains. On a trip to visit her home country, they saw some amazing games and different mechanics that inspired them. “So, we started considering what it would be like to have our own business,” he recounts.
Clackamas Town Center Escape Room
MindTrix offers guests a chance to step into entirely new worlds and uncover mysteries within. When a group of friends opens the door, enters a room filled with clever mechanical puzzles, and hears the countdown begin, something magical happens. Laughter bounces off the walls. Clues start to click into place. Connections form. In this high-energy environment, shared experiences spark a sense of togetherness that strengthens the community.
The Walkers’ first location opened at Clackamas Town Center in the Portland metro area. While many escape rooms lease outside streets or warehouse spaces, the Walkers chose a higher-visibility location with easy parking, safe access, and steady foot traffic to support both walk-ins and online bookings. The location paid off, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing to start out.
While the Walkers were carving out the brick and mortar of a mall storefront into a cavern of curiosities fit for all ages, the couple got the exciting and surprising news that they were having twins. All after leaving behind their nine-to-fives to become first-time business owners. To add to the adventure, the twins arrived just three days after MindTrix’s doors opened. “I was working seven days a week and she was taking care of two newborn twins,” Mike recalls with a laugh, “We joked that we had three babies in three days.”
MindTrix’s impact goes beyond entertainment. It’s about creating spaces where fun meets meaningful interaction. The business draws birthday parties, bachelor and bachelorette events, corporate team-builds and passionate escape-room fans who travel for new challenges. Mike believes escape rooms are “one of the most ideal forms of team-building, because it doesn’t require physical fitness and it incorporates teamwork, communication, time-management and problem-solving.”
Sometimes the connections run even deeper. When a lovestruck couple wanted a next-level engagement, one had the idea to call Mindtrix. They actually had Mike and Daniela embed the proposal into one of their games. The couple didn’t just escape the room or have an adventure for an afternoon, they started their lives together thanks to the mysteries of MindTrix.
Escape Room in Tualatin Opening
While the mall location was perfect for getting started, space was limited, and regular customers soon began asking when new rooms would open. As luck would have it, an older escape room in Tualatin was preparing to close its doors, giving the Walkers an opportunity to expand. But there was still work to be done. Years earlier, the building had been a veterinary clinic and not much had been updated since. “It was pretty much a top-to-bottom redo of the interior,” Mike says.
They’re turning the old clinic into an immersive, multi-room experience with fresh themes, tech upgrades and tighter story structures. Fans of the previous rooms will be excited to see the carryover of themes, and possibly even a part two to an old adventure. MindTrix will soon offer games such as a steampunk-inspired mission and a Da Vinci-themed quest — all designed for families, friends and corporate teams. For the Walkers, “It’s about connection — people putting their phones down, laughing, thinking together. That’s what makes it worth it,” Mike says.
Bank of the Pacific Helps Portland-area Escape Room Expand
Growth like this takes more than imagination — it takes support from partners who believe in you. That’s where community banking makes all the difference. After struggling to get traction with larger institutions, the Walkers turned to Bank of the Pacific and Commercial Banking Officer Kennedy Traeger. Traeger took the time to understand their vision and champion their plans. “They have been absolutely incredible, the level of personal service is far beyond anything we’ve experienced,” Mike says.
Traeger saw more than an escape room, “What stood out was his passion and his connection to the community. He wasn’t just opening another business — he was creating an experience for families and friends to share.” That kind of relationship-driven support helped finance the remodel and enabled the Walkers to launch their vision on a stronger foundation.
Small businesses as a community anchor are central to the Walkers’ vision. With the support of Bank of the Pacific and a dedicated team, MindTrix is able to be more than an escape room — it’s a place where neighbors play, kids laugh, colleagues collaborate and memories are built.
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