The Seed, LLC

06/26/2026

The Seed, LLC represents the building owners of Aby's Seed and Feed complex which, among other tenants housed Aby's Rapid City as a tenant. Their lease is up, the owner has moved to California and the Pub has been closed and is listed for sale. The manager, Johnny Service has paid all his staff and turned in the keys. He has posted a video stating that all the employees have been paid and the pub owners have publicly announced that any former employees who have not been paid should make themselves known. If you are a former employee who is owed please reach out to your manager, Johnny Service and he will make sure your legitimate claim is handled.

Be aware that the page Aby's Rapid City is no longer in the control of the bar owners it is in the control of a former social media marketing vendor whose services were discontinued. He seems desperate to recoup the lost income that went away when the bar closed and seems to be trying various deceptions in an effort to flag his falling sales. The show being advertised as "Farewell To Aby's" now "Fueled by Spite" is not authorized or approved by the owners of Aby's Pub, Seed Studios, LLC. Any use of Aby's name that has not been approved in writing by the Pub owners is a trademark infringement.

The false assertion that there are employees of Seed Studios, LLC DBA Aby's Pub that have not been paid is a deliberate falsehood being promulgated by a vendor whose services were discontinued.

The Fueled by Spite Concert -ironic as the title may be, has no relationship to Aby's Pub, Aby's Event Hall or anything associated with The Aby's Seed and Feed Complex at 406 5th Street. The proceeds of ticket sales will go into the pocket of the vendor. We wish him well. Enjoy the Fueled by Spite show but be under no illusion that you are supporting unpaid former Aby's employees because THERE ARE NONE. The vendor has removed most of his slanderous assertions in social media about proceeds going to "unpaid Aby's Staff" again because he knows there are none and he has been called out on his false assertions. That said he can't seem to stop digging himself into a hole but stupid is as stupid does so....so dig on.

I strongly suggest that the promoters make absolutely certain that all the slanderous assertions that were made initially (we have screenshots) have been removed and that any and all use of the Aby's name has likewise been removed. I'm putting this out there to clear the air as there has been a lot of dis-information and confusion flying around so just be aware, enjoy the show and stay tuned because we are close to several deals that will see the Aby's space open and operating in the hands of savvy operators dedicated to the Aby's vison. The owners, myself and my partners have a 20 plus year record of supporting small business and, with the help of our realtor VIP Realty Tony Marshall bringing good tenants to Downtown Rapid City including but not limited to Barefoot Dance Studios, Racing Magpie, Revival, At Home Design, Charlie's Tattoo Parlor, Katmandu, The Potted Rabbit, The Corn Exchange Bistro, Woodland Republic, The H**p Hoodown to name but a few. Our support of small business and of the arts in Rapid City is well known so you can be sure the best is yet to come for Aby's.

Feel free to reach out to me Walter Albasi via facebook messenger (or in person since I'm at one of my downtown building most days) if you have any questions and stay tuned for updates-

06/18/2026

Journalistic integrity is serious lacking at the Rapid City journal but that paper has been in steady decline for years so no surprise there. The recent article titled “Staff sys they weren’t paid: Aby’s shutting down after farewell show” is just plain wrong.
Any staff that claim they weren’t paid can reach out to me and their legitimate claim will be satisfied. The supposed “Staff” that wasn’t paid was in fact a sub-standard vendor who failed at the task they were being paid to perform and the owner of the bar stopped paying them.
They specifically threatened to “go to the newspapers” and they did and apparently the Journal bought their story hook and sinker and made no effort to fact check or seek comment from either the bar owner, who lives in California and is easily reached by phone, or The Landlord, The Seed, LLC and its manager, me Walt Albasi easily reached anytime in Rapid City usually at one of our downtown properties. Here are the facts;

Absolutely no staff has gone unpaid as a matter of fact all the staff employed at Aby’s over the term of their lease have been handsomely paid and, in many cases, over-compensated given their skill sets (or lack thereof). Tipped staff and bartenders did especially well. The aggrieved party is a Sioux Falls booking agent that books shows at various venues in Rapid City, collects all the ticket money and then tries to bill the venues for “marketing”. It's a scam, don't fall for it.

One look at the Aby’s website or a look at their social meeting marketing should convince you they’re incompetent and don’t deserve to be paid. The idea that the are “unpaid staff” is absurd this is a contract dispute with an aggreived, out of town sub-standard vendor and the Rapid City journal should not have printed that story without fact checking or even seeking comment from the bar owners whose contact information is in the public record and easily obtained. Apparently, the journal has been reduced to the level of being a tool for the interests of any hack, fly by night vendor who has an ax to grind.

12/08/2025

Tonight, in the Pub!

12/08/2025

12/08/2025

Don't miss tonight's SUNDAY EVENING JAZZ SHOW at Aby's Rapid City. This is the first in a series of shows we call Jazzby's so come on out! Food and drink specials and happy hour including Loomer THC adult beverages and mocktails for the alcohol adverse!