Entrepreneur · Real Estate Investor · Business Builder

Howard Klotzkin

A New Jersey entrepreneur whose career spans experiential entertainment, multi-location business development, real estate investment, customer experience, and community-minded leadership.

Explore the Story Real Estate Press & Media

Howard Klotzkin holding a Bury the Hatchet Best of the Best Community Choice Awards winner plaque

Entrepreneur • Operator • Investor • Community Builder

2015Amazing Escape Room presence begins in New Jersey

2017Bury the Hatchet launches in New Jersey

2018HK Real Properties LLC launched

100+Properties bought and sold through HK Real Properties

The Entrepreneurial Story

Seeing opportunity, building systems, and creating lasting value.

Howard Klotzkin's business story is defined by a practical approach: identify an opportunity, build the operation around it, listen to customers, develop capable teams, and invest for the long term.

Long before immersive group entertainment became commonplace, Klotzkin was developing escape-room locations in New Jersey. By 2017, while expanding Amazing Escape Room, he recognized another emerging opportunity: indoor competitive axe throwing.

Bury the Hatchet's Cherry Hill location was followed by rapid growth. Contemporary reporting identified the Greenpoint, Brooklyn venue as the chain's 10th location in 2018, with Paramus following as another major expansion milestone.

His entrepreneurial interests also expanded into real estate. In 2018, Klotzkin started HK Real Properties LLC, a company that owns and operates multifamily and single-family properties across Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Across entertainment and real estate, the common thread is hands-on execution: finding opportunities, developing locations, building internal capabilities, managing operations, and focusing on sustainable long-term value.

Howard Klotzkin with an Amazing Escape Room Walk4Friends 2018 sponsorship recognition plaque — Community partnership through Amazing Escape Room

A group outside an Amazing Escape Room location — Experiences designed to bring people together

Business Experience

Building across entertainment and real estate.

Klotzkin's business experience reflects both operating creativity and disciplined asset management—from interactive entertainment concepts to long-term property ownership.

Amazing Escape Room

Immersive puzzle experiences centered on communication, problem solving, teamwork, and themed environments. The concept developed a multi-location footprint and earned specialist recognition for set design.

Bury the Hatchet

Indoor axe-throwing venues designed for social competition, group entertainment, corporate team building, celebrations, and shared experiences. Contemporary reporting documented rapid expansion into a double-digit location network.

HK Real Properties

Founded in 2018, HK Real Properties LLC owns and operates multifamily and single-family properties in Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, with an increasingly long-term buy-and-hold strategy.

HK Real Properties LLC

A long-term approach to real estate ownership.

Founded by Howard Klotzkin in 2018, HK Real Properties LLC owns and operates multifamily and single-family properties throughout Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Since starting the company, Klotzkin reports that HK Real Properties has bought and sold more than 100 properties. The company's current strategy is primarily focused on acquiring quality properties and holding them for the long term.

A key operating advantage is vertical integration. HK Real Properties maintains in-house property management and construction teams, enabling the company to oversee day-to-day property operations, renovations, repairs, and ongoing maintenance internally.

This structure reflects the same hands-on operating philosophy seen throughout Klotzkin's entrepreneurial career: build capable teams, stay close to the details, and create durable value through disciplined execution.

“Keep it simple. Be nice. Listen to your customers and learn from your experience.”Howard Klotzkin

Recognition & Community

Recognition earned through experiences and relationships.

The record includes business recognition, specialist industry recognition, and community partnerships connected with Klotzkin's ventures.

Business Recognition

Best of the Best

Bury the Hatchet has been recognized as a winner in the Asbury Park Press Best of the Best Community Choice Awards, reflecting strong local visibility for the entertainment brand.

Industry Recognition

Set Design Honor

Amazing Escape Room's “Top Secret Mission” received a 2019 Bullseye Awards Honorable Mention for Set Design from specialist escape-room reviewers.

Community Partnership

Walk4Friends 2018

Amazing Escape Room received recognition from The Friendship Circle of Central Jersey for its sponsorship of Walk4Friends 2018, an event benefiting individuals with special needs and their families.

Community Connection

Businesses can become gathering places.

Entertainment venues can serve as meeting points for civic groups, charities, businesses, families, and community organizations.

Pitties & Pals Rescue

In January 2023, Bury the Hatchet's Freehold location participated in a fundraising event supporting the nonprofit animal-rescue organization.

Scholarship Support

In July 2025, the Matawan-Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce held an event at Bury the Hatchet's Matawan/Old Bridge venue, with a portion of proceeds designated for the Chamber's scholarship fund.

Special-Needs Community

Amazing Escape Room was recognized for supporting Walk4Friends 2018 through The Friendship Circle of Central Jersey, helping an event benefiting individuals with special needs and their families.

Shared Experiences

Across group events, charitable bookings, and corporate outings, Klotzkin's entertainment ventures have created spaces where people connect around a common activity.

Next-Generation Entrepreneurship

Experience has value when it can be passed forward.

In 2024, published reporting described Howard's support for his then-18-year-old son Milo's acquisition of All Star Bagels in New Jersey. Howard served as co-signer on the reported business financing, providing tangible support as a young entrepreneur took responsibility for his own operation.

The same reporting described a family emphasis on education and initiative—an extension of the values that have shaped Klotzkin's own entrepreneurial career.

$250KReported business loan co-signed in support of his son's acquisition

Press & Media

A diversified record of expansion and experience.

Media materials focus on documented business growth, customer experience, real estate investment, community connection, and entrepreneurship.

Press Release

Howard Klotzkin's Entrepreneurial Career Reflects Innovation, Growth and a Commitment to Building Lasting Value

New Jersey entrepreneur has built and expanded experiential-entertainment concepts while developing a real estate portfolio through HK Real Properties LLC.

DatelineMillstone, New JerseyMedia RelationsSevilla Local MediaContactTommy Sevilla

Read press release

MILLSTONE, N.J. — For New Jersey entrepreneur Howard Klotzkin, building a successful business has long meant more than opening a set of doors. It means recognizing an opportunity before it becomes obvious, creating an experience customers want to share, building the systems necessary to grow, and taking a long-term view of value creation.

Recognizing an Opportunity — Then Building It

Klotzkin became an early participant in experiential entertainment through Amazing Escape Room and later Bury the Hatchet. Bury the Hatchet's Cherry Hill location was followed by rapid expansion, with contemporary reporting identifying its Greenpoint venue as the chain's 10th location in 2018 and Paramus following as another major growth milestone.

Expanding Into Real Estate

In 2018, Klotzkin founded HK Real Properties LLC. The company owns and operates multifamily and single-family properties across Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Klotzkin reports that the company has bought and sold more than 100 properties and is now primarily focused on buying and holding properties for the long term. In-house property management and construction teams support renovations, maintenance, and day-to-day operations.

A Hands-On Approach to Growth

Whether developing entertainment venues or managing real estate, Klotzkin's operating philosophy emphasizes direct execution. Locations must be identified, spaces built or improved, teams developed, operations managed, and the customer or resident experience maintained.

A Philosophy Centered on Customers

In a previously published interview, Klotzkin summarized his business philosophy: “Keep it simple. Be nice. Listen to your customers and learn from your experience.” That focus on simplicity, service, and learning remains a concise expression of the operating philosophy behind his ventures.

Businesses as Community Gathering Places

Businesses associated with Klotzkin have supported charitable and civic events, including an Amazing Escape Room sponsorship of Walk4Friends 2018, a Freehold fundraiser benefiting Pitties & Pals Rescue, and a Matawan-Aberdeen Chamber event supporting its scholarship fund.

Supporting the Next Generation

Klotzkin's entrepreneurial influence also extends to his family. Published reporting described his support of his son Milo's acquisition of All Star Bagels in New Jersey, with Howard serving as co-signer on the reported financing.

About Howard Klotzkin

Howard Klotzkin is a New Jersey entrepreneur whose business experience spans experiential entertainment, multi-location expansion, and real estate investment. His ventures include Amazing Escape Room, Bury the Hatchet, and HK Real Properties LLC. His business philosophy emphasizes customer service, disciplined execution, continual learning, and creating long-term value.

Media Inquiries

For interviews, background, and press materials.

Members of the media may contact Sevilla Local Media for interview coordination, background information, and approved media assets concerning Howard Klotzkin.

Tommy Sevilla

Sevilla Local Media · Media Relations

951-289-1710 tommy@sevillalocalmedia.com sevillalocalmedia.com