Meet Dave Roggeman: Visionary

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dave Roggeman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dave, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Without the amazing Denver artists, we have collaborated with, our brand would not be the success it is today. We started out as a screenprinting company and over the years, have created our own brand called Abstract eventually changing the name of our retail store to give it more of its own identity apart from INDYINK. We have had the honor to work and showcase some really amazing artists and print their artwork on shirts. On the shelves right now you can find designs from: Moeh and Alex Taylor (Crimsion Hilt Tattoo), Jaime Molina, Dave Palmer, Chris Huth, Joe Triscari (Moon Lignt Speed) Lindsey Kuhn (Swamp Co), Sean Brow (NoGuff), Ellie Rusinova and Brandan Styles of Mad Tatters, Sandi Calistro, Charles Martinez, Evan Lorenzen (All Sacred Tattoo), Ravi Zupa, Matador, Mike Strescino, Elissa Eaton, Mike Graves, John Van Horn, Arna Miller, Rumtum, Dinkc, Chase Martines, Miguel Dominguez, Chris Claxton, Liz Holland, and Karma Leigh

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Aaron and I started INDYINK in 2002 to start a company we would be proud to work for. Neither one of us had never been great employees and were fed up working for other people, and started looking for opportunities to pave our own path. Aaron came across some screenprinting equipment for sale and with his background as a graphic designer and mine as a printer, it made sense. We bought the equipment set it up in the back of Aarons house and Indyink was born! After a couple of years, we found a place for rent on Broadway with enough space for a workshop in the back and a retail store in the front. Our original business plan was to be the best screenprinting company in Denver, and didn’t include a clothing brand. With the location, and retail space shifted gears a little to create our own brand as well as other brands we both supported, and built a gallery wall to showcase local artists. We quickly realized that we could not create enough designs to fill the store, and started working with the featured artists to produce wearable art, What sets us apart from others is our quality and consistency. With having our own brand and retails store I believe it gives us a keen eye to detail and the search for quality garments and better printing practices It has not always been easy we have had to work hard and reinvent ourselves as the business has grown, moved, opened a second retail store, and now have had to scale back. As business owners/entrepreneurs we have to be willing to adapt and take on different roles in the company to keep progressing forward.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The first place I would take them is to Abstract! We would stop by our shop on Sante Fe, then head up to the new store in the Edgewater Public Market, grab a beer from Barquentine, and a bite to eat from Rock-N-Lobster Roll, then grab some Ice cream form, Happy Cones. We would then head up the rooftop patio for a cocktail form Rogers and take in the view of Denver behind Sloans Lake. Day 2 we would head down to Littleton for breakfast at Toast, hop on our Dual Sport Motorcycles for a ride over Independence Pass, and end up in Glenwood Springs for a soak. On the way back home we would have to stop in Westbound and Down in Idaho Springs for a bite from their scratch kitchen and a brew. Day 3, time for a brewery tour! On the list, we have got to hit Baere, Cerebral, Trve, Black Sky, Our Mutal Friend, Black Project, and Strange. Any more than that we may not get home! All that beer would need to be soaked up by some late-night breakfast at the Breakfast King! Day four we are going to have to take it easy and sleep in! Grab some brunch at Ophelia’s, Electric Soapbox, before heading to the Denver Art Museum to start off a lazy day of coffee and artwork. After the DAM we head over to the MCA, and crab a cup of coffee at the Cafe. We then cruise down Santa Fe to Denver’s art district and gallery hop, making sure to stop by the Denver Art Society, CHAC, Bitfactory, the CVA, Space Gallery, and the Spectra Art Space, and of course Abstract. All this art is going to require nourishment from Taco De Mexico. Day five is gonna start with Coffee from Pablos, breakfast at Table 6, then a day of shopping. The first stop is Wax Trax, then Twist and Shout for some vinyl shopping. Lunch today we head to Finns Manor, then back to shopping more shopping, got to check out Topo Designs flagship store, Jibberish, and Steadbrook while we are in the area, then the at Dinner at Hop Alley, followed by checking out the latest murals painted during Crush Walls. Day six is all about fly fishing! A quick cup of coffee at Middlestate before swinging by Trouts to find out what’s biting, and fill the fly box, before we head to one of our scenic rivers in somewhere in Colorado to try our luck at tricking some trout. One the way home got to stop off at Cochino for dinner and Margaritas to end the night! Day Seven is for fun and games! We head up to Five Points for a bagel at Rosenberg’s, then stop by Vices to grab a fresh fit before tonights Nuggets game. There is plenty of time before the game to grab a bite and a few games of Ping Pong at Ace, then to 1up for a few games of pinball. Before heading to the game we will need pizza from Cart Diver. The perfect ending to this night is celebrating the Nuggets win while taking in the view from the rooftop patio at Ale House. Now it is time for you to head out on the Lightrial to DIA I’m too tired to dive you all the way out there.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My Shoutout goes out to Moeh or Crimson Hilt Tattoo. Some of our first designs when we started out were from Moeh, and among all the other Denver Artists we have worked with deserves an additional shoutout!

Website: abstratenver.com, indyink.com
Instagram: @abstractdenver, @indyinkdenver
Twitter: @indyinkcorp
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abstractdenver/, https://www.facebook.com/indyinkdenver/
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/indyink-denver, https://www.yelp.com/biz/abstract-denver-denver
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChS5x9_Y783gs4QNQU33mUg

Image Credits
Circe Baumgartner @circebphoto