Just past the exit for the Downtown Aquarium on Interstate 25, a digital billboard for a Denver social club is catching the attention of drivers with ever-changing messages, ranging from jokes to birthday shout-outs to matchmaking attempts.
In September, it informed passersby: “Confession of the week: I am not sure I pronounce charcuterie correctly.” Two weeks prior, the sign said, “Biggie was a better rapper than Tupac and I rented this billboard just to say that.”
The billboard belongs to Archipelago Denver, a social space in a downtown mansion at 2345 7th St. The man behind most of the messages? Jared Marquette, the 39-year-old cofounder.
“It’s kind of my favorite thing in life these days,” he said about the sign. “It makes me so happy that somebody noticed it.”
The billboard is a recent development for the social club, which was established about six years ago.
In an effort to focus on his health after his 20s, Marquette spent a lot of money on services like meditation apps and breathwork, or breathing practices. Soon after, the Denverite and his partner, Jason Shepherd of Atlas Real Estate, sought to create an “opportunity for people who were trying to be healthy,” Marquette said.
Archipelago was born. “It evolved from there,” he added.
After starting out in the attic space of their current location, they’ve since expanded to occupy the entire building. A cold plunge and sauna are set up in the basement, with offices on the second floor. In the attic, the team holds “classes on anything you can think of” — from concerts and comedy shows to art workshops and men’s circles.
Once Archipelago became the sole tenant, Marquette took the reins of the billboard last spring.
“No one really cared about it, and I was the only person that learned how to use it,” he said. “I kind of started putting random thoughts up there, and people seemed to enjoy it.”
Marquette recalls one of his first messages. After a friend complained to him about her dating woes, he put her photo and Instagram profile handle up on the billboard. Unfortunately, she only received one message — from a preteen boy.
“I consistently put up jokes about my friends,” Marquette said.
The billboard has succeeded in bringing some of Archipelago’s 200 members through the club’s doors. Membership costs $140 per month, with clubhouse access available every day from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Both members and guests can attend events, although visitors must sometimes buy tickets.
Anyone can rent the billboard: $100 for the day to be part of a four-part rotation or $200 for the day to be the sole message.
“We’re not trying to make money off of it. We love doing it, so we kind of assume other people would like to do it, too,” Marquette said.
So, what’s its purpose? “To make people laugh,” he said. “To give people something to do while stuck in traffic.”
Russ Carlton, 41, remembers the first time he “did a double take” while driving past the sign, which then displayed a message about Kimmy Gibbler, a character on TV series “Full House.”
“I was like, ‘Wait, what did that sign just say?’” the Highlands resident said. “The next time, I made a point to look for the sign.”
He eventually researched Archipelago Denver to find out more.
“It could easily just be like their business phone number. They’ve got kind of prime real estate there,” Carlton said. Instead, “they’re choosing to put funny nonsense things on there.”
Although he doesn’t travel I-25 often, he’ll intentionally seek out the billboard when the opportunity arises, wondering, “Oh, what’s it say now?”
