Today we’d like to introduce you to Robbi McGuire.
Hi Robbi, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My husband, AJ McGuire, owns and operates Dead Drift Tattoo and has been wanting to invest in a commercial property for years to move the shop to. I help with administrative things with the shop and have a background in event coordination and office management. I have had a couple of small business ventures, including a home-baking business on my own (Robbi Cakes), a pop-up bakery with a partner (Whisk & Bean), and a permanent jewelry business (JoElla Welded, which I’m still operating), and have long wanted to start something more permanent that somehow incorporates my skills and interests in one while providing a service and resource to the greater community.
After years of saving and searching for a commercial building that could house both of our businesses, we came across a three-story building in Lakewood. It was bigger than what we had been planning on, but it fit the bill with everything else. We purchased it and started revising our plans and dreams to go bigger.
We dubbed the full building The Seam, an ode to the seam of a river where the fast and slow waters meet–much like how the energy feels inside and out. Inside, we have a small events and gathering space on our garden-level floor–perfect for art workshops, wellness workshops, creative events, and general celebratory gatherings. Dead Drift Tattoo has the whole second floor filled with art and the sounds of tattoo machines whirring while they make beautiful permanent artwork. And on the top floor are coworking offices, therapy rooms, private offices, and a conference room, all available for rent and geared towards artists, healers, and entrepreneurs. Located just off of 6th Avenue, East and Westbound drivers can see us on their daily commutes. Just behind us is a small semirural neighborhood where you can spot horses and urban farms in the backyards. We are a convergence point for community and creativity.
Running the top and bottom floors puts both my event planning skills and office management experience to use, along with my passions for empowering others and creating meaningful gatherings for the community. We’re curating a community of creatives, artists, healers, entrepreneurs, and community builders that have similar values and complimentary interests and skills. We will have monthly markets showcasing local artists and makers on our first floor, providing a unique opportunity for connection between creatives plus community customers. We already have a massage therapist tenant in one of the top floor office suites, a local nonprofit coalition (Jeffco CTC) which we sponsor for office space, and have fully furnished suites ready for solo-practitioners for massage and talk-therapies. We’ve hosted a few creative workshops in the space with local artists, providing painting workshops or wellness resources. There are so many opportunities and possibilities for what The Seam can curate and create!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not a smooth road. The building purchase itself was pretty daunting–commercial real estate is a totally different monster. Now that we have the space, it’s been an ongoing list of to-do’s, additional needs, improvements, maintenance, and contractor drama with renovations. Dead Drift went through several roadblocks to get into their space before they could become fully operational due to continuously moving contractor deadlines. We’re still building and getting started with the other two floors and concepts of the coworking floor and the small event floor–which feels like a slow process. But we are climbing our way through and up and determined to make it all a collective success!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The Seam is where creativity, wellness, and community meet. Our mission is to provide flexible, intentionally curated spaces that support artists, entrepreneurs, holistic practitioners, and community builders in Lakewood, CO. By managing a vibrant, multi-use building, The Seam acts as both a steward of space and a catalyst for community empowerment. Here, you can Showcase, Empower, Align, and Meet.
The office Suites on our top floor provide both coworking and private office suites for small business owners, entrepreneurs, healers, and creatives. We have a massage practice in one private suite, a nonprofit coalition in another, a full conference room for rent, a coworking room furnished with desks, a group-work-table, and an artist’s easel. A beautiful lobby lounge sits outside two other shared, furnished rooms that are prepared for solo-practitioners to rent by the hours, day, or recurring days for massage therapy and talk therapy. This cozy floor provides space for collaboration, focus, healing, community, and progress.
Dead Drift Tattoo on the second floor is a premier custom tattoo shop that was previously in Denver for 10 years before moving to Lakewood. The eight talented artists specialize in many different styles and skills, providing any option for a quality and beautiful tattoo piece to any client. The artists are kind, friendly, and welcoming in their beautiful open space that is lush with art, plants, and good vibes. With half of the artists being LGBTQ+, more than half female, and all being simply some of the best people you’ll meet, the energy in the space feels different from many other tattoo shops. AJ has really worked hard to make Dead Drift the shop it is today, and has an amazing team of artists that contribute to the uniqueness and good energy of shop with their incredible talent and skills.
The small event and workshop Studios on the garden-level floor provide warm, versatile event space designed for meaningful gatherings that spark creativity, connection, and community. Featuring two open-concept rooms that can be used together or separately, a full kitchen, and a greenroom for dressing or photography, the Studios are a true blank slate for anybody’s gathering, workshop, training, or celebration. From intimate celebrations and art shows to workshops, pop-up shops, and wellness classes, the possibilities are endless.
Our mission is to hold space where guests feel inspired upon arrival and fulfilled when they leave.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Lakewood is just at the cusp of South Denver, so it feels like it’s still part of the city excitement without being in the busy crowd. The suburbs provide a wide variety of families, partners, and singles that are interested in finding belonging and a sense of community. There have been a handful of new local-owned businesses popping up and growing here, which makes it feel like more than just the burbs–but more of the start of something exciting and inclusive.
What I like least about the city of Lakewood is how it can sometimes feel hard to get people to come out to join the fun! It can feel a little sleepy and cozy in the burbs, but once you can coax people out, they have a great time and enjoy being part of the larger collective. We hope that our concept of both fast and slow, warm and hot, restorative and excitement will be the perfect meeting point for those in our area to feel comfortable and excited to come in and check out our incredible tattoo artists at Dead Drift, join our community events, and utilize our coworking resources.
Pricing:
- $25 for Coworking Drop-In Day Pass
- $100 for a 5-day Coworking Pass
- $200 for Full-Day use of Furnished Therapy Suite
- $50/hr for the Conference Room, or $400 for a full day
- Event Studios range from $55/hr to $120/hr, or $300/hr for the full 2,000 sqft floor
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theseamco.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/the.seam.co
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/the.seam.co
- Other: https://www.deaddrifttattoo.com/
Image Credits
Interior photos of the office space and lobby are credited to Modern Magic Art, Katie Jackson.
