IX Lives Brewing Is Worth Waiting For
IX Lives Brewing Is Worth Waiting For
Ellen Goddard and Laura Randall are pushing forward, but taking their time.
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It’s somewhat difficult, but wholly delightful to talk to Laura Randall and Ellen Goddard on the phone at the same time. Both have a tendency to talk over one another, laugh loudly, and finish each other’s sentences, each waxing poetic about the other in the way only cherished friends could. The transcript of our conversation is full of half-sentences and a deluge of compliments, bursting with creative energy and mutual respect. It’s not hard to see the future the pair envisions for IX Lives Brewing, because they know exactly what they want to do and who they want to build it for. Now, it’s just a matter of the rest of the world breathing life into their dream and helping to make it a reality.
Breweries are places of community and connection, shared third places for many—not work, not home, but a glorious in-between where humans relax and enjoy the hubbub of life swirling around them.
Cats, on the other hand, are not so social. Aloof, mysterious, and indifferent, yes, but not generally known for being approachable or even polite much of the time. (Is it very obvious I had a very sassy, standoffish Siamese cat for 17 years?)
But Laura Randall (they/them) and Ellen Goddard (she/her) see felines as more than their haughty stereotype. “We see cats being more cozy and comfortable,” says Laura. Cozy and comfortable: precisely the type of vibe they’re aiming for in IX Lives Brewing, their brewery concept-in-progress in Seattle, Washington.
At IX Lives, they want people to sit, relax, and “be a little bit particular—about what kind of beer you like,” Laura laughs. It’ll be a place to like what you like without pretense or judgment—a safe space where those who aren’t often seen in the beer business won’t just be seen or accepted. They’ll also be running the show.
Ellen and Laura are starting to realize what taking on that amount of visibility and responsibility actually means, even before they open their doors. “We feel in our hearts like, ‘Oh my God, people want this,” says Laura. “Helping people feel seen… We're just coming in kind of being loud about our identity. Stuff like that feels super fucking important.”
Building a cat-themed, woman and non-binary queer-owned brewery without the benefit of inherited wealth or outside investment (yet) seems like it could be insurmountable to get off the ground, regardless of need or interest from their community. But building it as a partnership with lots of family support has made impossible seem possible.
“We’re realistic about goals and timeframes,” says Ellen, saying that while she and Laura don’t mind waiting for the right space at the right time, the pair hopes it’ll be sooner rather than later. One taproom space has already fallen through, a disappointing experience, but ultimately one they agree will help them recognize and confidently pursue the right thing when it comes along. But one thing they agree on is that whenever the brewery does move forward, maintaining a healthy work/life balance for both of them is crucial.
“We’re not into hustle culture,” Laura adds. “We're not into capitalism and all that stuff. As we’re working on it, we’re trying to keep ourselves grounded. We want to do this because we want it to be enjoyable… we have full time jobs and full time lives.”
Part of both of their lives outside of work is running, the activity that first brought them together a few years ago. Neither is originally from Seattle—Laura grew up in Atlanta, Georgia; went to college in Elon, North Carolina; and came to Seattle for graduate school. During a brief stint in Syracuse, they asked themselves “What am I doing? I’m not having fun!” So in 2016, they returned to the Pacific Northwest and never looked back.
Ellen grew up in Oregon and came to Seattle for college, where she eventually earned a Master’s degree in elementary education and started nannying to pay the bills. 15 years later, she still nannies for the same family, even though she laughingly admits the kids don’t need her quite as much as they used to.
But they both love running, cats, and beer, so the two bounced around an idea of opening a business that was half cat shelter, half brewery. It was during the pandemic, a time of dreaming big and YOLO attitudes. IX Lives was a bit of an inside joke—until it wasn’t.
Between Laura’s experience with operations and Ellen’s homebrewing history, they decided to enroll in commercial brewing classes at the University of Washington Tacoma to see if their idea had legs. They had to answer: why a brewery? Why now? Why here? One thing was certain from the beginning—it had to be more than just beer.
“In the industry, there's such a putting on a pedestal of ‘We make great beer and that's all that matters,’” says Laura. “That's not the only thing that matters. We want to make great beer. But we will not do it at the cost of ensuring that everything else is great, too: the atmosphere, the experience, people feeling seen and welcome.”
Even without a dedicated space secured, IX Lives’ brand already feels very inviting and soft—the antithesis of typical masculine brewery spaces in industrial locations, one that aims to include, not exclude. Shades of pink, cream, royal blue, and marigold yellow dot their brand deck, which also features lots and lots of cats, of course. But moving from concept to reality has proven difficult for the two founders, who wonder if it’s always quite so difficult to get funding.
“We’ve had all kinds of meetings with investors, and they get really passionate about what we’re doing,” says Laura. Then, crickets. They admit it’s speculation, but they wonder aloud: “If we were white guys doing this, would this be different? We don’t know.” Ellen says even with lots of (gratefully accepted) support from friends and family, the lack of significant outside capital “feels really, really defeating.”
IX Lives has a crowdfunding campaign open through December 31, 2023, but even if they don’t meet their goal by then, they’re still committed to making their brewery dream a reality. Until then, the duo says they’ll continue to work on collaborations to keep spreading the word and making connections. Their latest initiative is a collaborative Hazy IPA with Here Today on behalf of Washington Wild, an environmental advocacy group. It won’t be the last by a long shot, promises both Laura and Ellen.
“We should be doing things that make everything around you better,” says Laura. Space or no space, they’ll both keep working to do just that. And when they do open their doors, they promise that everyone—even dogs!—will be welcome.
Follow IX Lives Brewing on Instagram at @ixlivesbrewing and donate to their fundraising campaign on IFundWomen.
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