FARMINGTON – In another successful pivot, Farmington Underground has taken the hand dealt and created a new way to escape. It was just about this time last year when owner Joe Musumeci realized how severely the pandemic was going to affect his business. Being literally trapped in a room with several other people for up to an hour was not conducive to social distancing and outdoor gatherings, but that didn’t slow Joe down.
Quickly, he and his wife Mary Ellms created several covid-friendly versions of their handmade escape rooms. Games geared toward family “pods” and interactive Zoom scavengers hunts were the start of their creative problem solving, but finally, a year later, the couple has landed on a permanent solution: an app that offers gaming and tours of Maine towns, completely customizable.
Farmington Underground officially closed their physical location last week. The handmade items created by Joe and Mary were mostly sold off or given away, including a five-foot tall paper mâché triceratops that will spend its senior years at the Cape Cod Hill School library. Joe said the business just couldn’t bounce back financially after the pandemic, but true to his character, enthusiasm and optimism has triumphed.
“We were really in survival mode when we tried out the scavenger hunts last year, but we got such a good response. It’s really because of how the community responded to it that we’ve decided to do it full time,” he said.
“Story Trails of Maine” is a new free app that brings participants out and about, discovering new places and information about the very town they live in or are visiting.
“We’ve shifted a bit to having towns as clients,” Joe said.
Story Trails of Maine offers custom tours of municipalities, with or without a game element. Joe specializes in highlighting a town’s historical landmarks, and said the new business aims to “promote Maine towns, communities and their stories.” Currently the couple is designing a Story Trail for China that is slated to launch next month.
In this area, adventure-seekers can join in on the Story Trail fun with a tour of the downtown Farmington area that follows a fictionalized story of Chester Greenwood. Joe wrote the story using information provided by the Farmington Historical Society.
As a nod to their former larger than life triceratops business partner, gamers end their downtown tour at the historical society where a pair of giant earmuffs provide background for photoshoots.
To find out more visit the Story Trails website, download the app, or follow them on Instagram.
