Lowbrow has been a small but impactful store on South Broadway for the last six years. During that time it has served as a central gathering spot for local artists and the goods they create. But this week, the shop announced the brick-and-mortar store will close.
On October 16, Lowbrow posted on their Facebook page, “In an effort to focus more on promoting artists and hosting off-site pop up events, we are planning to leave our brick-and-mortar days behind. So don’t worry, we won’t be gone — just gone from this address!” Comments appeared immediately, offering condolences (“Another Denver casualty”) and expressing heartache.
Owned by Lauren Seip and Tymla Welch, Lowbrow was a store with heart. A hybrid boutique and art gallery, the shop often left people with a smile on their face by offering visitors a peek at new, local and unique art while also selling fun art supplies like glitter, graffiti tools and even scented markers. Seip and Welch are two of the four members of the local art group Ladies Fancywork Society — the ones responsible for the crocheted installations around the city that can be found on rooftops in RiNo to trees in downtown. And despite the closing of the physical location, the ladies behind Lowbrow are looking ahead at the future with hopeful eyes and new plans.
“There aren’t online plans in the works right now, but rather we will be producing in-person art shows and experiences akin to the ones that we’re already known for. Having rad parties and hooking artists up with great locations to show their work, as well as helping them produce and release their own merchandise, is where our Lowbrow heart has been for some time and we’re so excited to be able to focus on that more, as well as our other art baby, the Ladies Fancywork Society.”
Ladies Fancywork Society has been busier than ever recently, with some of their hybrid crochet-spray paint art at the recent Far Out Factory as well as their third yarn-bomb installation at the annual street art festival CRUSH. It seems that the conceptualization, creation and production of those projects might be taking up more of their time than before, leading to less time to give to their brick-and-mortar boutique. But the ladies have made more connections through Lowbrow than they could have imagined when they started it in 2012 and their motivation to continue serving the artistic community is at an all-time high. They haven’t given up on the arts because they’re closing the store — they’re refocusing on a different way to support and bolster the arts instead.
“We’ve loved our time on Broadway,” Seip and Welch commented. “This is our favorite Denver neighborhood and we’ve met so many amazing customers, artists, business owners, and beings of light that have all become such important parts of our Lowbrow life. We would never have been able to make this place our business home without all of these awesome people.”
So, when will this all take place? The ladies aren’t quite sure yet. They want to make sure they’re leaving in the best way possible — with someone else to look after the location. The store will close, but the ladies want the legacy of the spot on Broadway to remain, in some way. “We are looking for someone to take over our space so if anyone is interested the best way to reach us is at info@lowbrowdenver.com.”
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Lowbrow is located at 38 Broadway and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 12 to 7 p.m. and Sunday 12 to 6 p.m., until further notice.
*Editor’s note: Originally, the last paragraph simply said “look after the store,” but it should be noted that Lowbrow is closing and the location will be available for another business to occupy.