T-Shirts With A Purpose, better known as T-SWAP, has created a new space called The Inkwell, which will serve as the newest hub for musicians, writers and artists in the Storrs-Willimantic area.
Located at 754 Main Street in downtown Willimantic, Connecticut, T-SWAP is a clothing and printing company that focuses on highlighting local artists and designers. The company has also hosted numerous events to feature local musicians, including outdoor concerts at the T-SWAP stage at the back of their building.
The company’s latest initiative, The Inkwell, is in the basement of their building. Described by the company’s CEO Griffin Ryan as “a late-night entertainment and writers lounge,” The Inkwell is an intimate space where musicians and creative-minded people can come and showcase their talents.
Ryan also emphasized the importance of having artists that showcase original music and new sounds, as opposed to the largely cover-driven music played at open jam or open mic nights that lack creativity at times.
“What The Inkwell is about is the originality of the individual,” said Ryan. “We’re really trying to showcase that there’s some awesome talent in the area and we want to be able to give an opportunity to see that originality and the unique voice of the creators that live all around us that we otherwise don’t really get to see.”
The Inkwell was launched over the summer with a series of small-scale events, including poetry nights, skit nights and even a puppetry night. Ryan said the events had good turnouts and highlighted the potential of the space.
This fall, the space will be featuring live music for the first time, with a series of concerts every Saturday night in September. For just $10, music lovers of the Storrs-Willimantic area can see bands from the area and across Connecticut in an intimate setting.
The lineups are stacked with some of the most recognizable bands to come from Storrs and Willimantic. The shows kick off on Saturday, Sept. 7, with performances by Solgyres and Jaded in Paradise. Sept. 14 will feature Wally, Pond View and Auntie, followed by the Sept. 21 show with Dash Cam, Cat Crash and Rednave. The September concerts will wrap up on Sept. 28 with Goon Metal, Arcadlyde and Stock Goblin.
In addition to these September concerts, Ryan said that The Inkwell will continue to host Thursday night poetry nights and other events related to art and writing.
Ryan said that one of the main missions of The Inkwell is to have a space where musicians, writers, artists and fans of the craft can connect to establish a sense of community and help grow the art and music scene in Willimantic, instead of focusing on what’s happening in scenes elsewhere.
“A big thing when it comes to The Inkwell and T-SWAP is that this all plays into the mission that if we were to connect more with the local artists, writers and musicians in our areas, we would care more about our towns,” said Ryan. “And instead of delving into whatever cool content is on social media, we can actually start delving into what’s immediately around us.”
We’re really trying to showcase that there’s some awesome talent in the area and we want to be able to give an opportunity to see that originality and the unique voice of the creators that live all around us that we otherwise don’t really get to see.
Griffin Ryan, CEO of T-Shirts With A Purpose
Ryan emphasized the role that creatives have in small towns, saying that they are the people who “hold our communities together and really give a voice to the people,” something he said rings especially true in a town like Willimantic.
“True patriots aren’t the political figures,” said Ryan. “They’re the artists, the writers, the musicians that add all the color into our towns that make us want to live there and care about it.”
Another purpose of The Inkwell is to have a sustainable venue that can be in place for a while, regardless of what bands or people are in the local scene. He explained that house show venues, one of the most popular spaces for live music near college campuses, come and go due to people graduating. These spaces tend to be short-lived, which can cause local scenes to fluctuate.
“We want to be sustainable,” said Ryan. “It’s really cool when you have concepts like that, but when they come and go, you can lose that energy. And it’s so important to maintain that, because that’s what keeps people coming out.”
Above all else, Ryan described The Inkwell as a space where people can explore their passions and meet other people with similar passions, something that means a great deal to him.
“It gives me faith in humanity and society when you find that passion in people,” said Ryan. “And that’s really what The Inkwell is supposed to be: a space where you can let your own passion wake up and feel like you’re in a comfortable space where you can do that.”
For more information about events at The Inkwell, visit @the.inkwell.willi on Instagram.