The Tie Dye Lab Opens In Avon

Writer  /  Heather Chastain

The country’s first do it yourself tie dye studio is now in Avon. The Tie Dye Lab, located at Avon Station, opened its doors in June and is already making a colorful imprint on the community.

“It’s fun. Everyone seems to have fun doing it,” says co-owner Bart Fisher. “We are big into family. We’ve coached teams and been involved in CYO activities, and we wanted something everyone could do. We enjoy seeing their smiles and watching them create things.”

This is the first do-it yourself tie dye studio where you can do most of the dying yourself and leave with your product in 30 to 45 minutes. You can tie dye so much more than t-shirts. You can also tie dye hats, socks, beach towels, bandanas, draw string bags and onesies. The Tie Dye Lab offers 28 colors to choose from and five different designs. You can choose from spirals, stripes, bullseye, sunburst and crumples.

Tie Dye was popular in the 80s and has not been as mainstream in the last decade, but Bart isn’t calling the tie dye process a comeback.

“I really don’t think it ever went away,” he says. “There has always been tie dye. I just think we have made it more convenient.”

The Tie Dye Lab supplies you with everything you need to make a nearly finished product when you walk out the door. The product will be damp when you leave, and you must wash it once you get home. Bart’s wife Terri says she spent a great deal of time researching tie dye techniques and learning about the dye so each customer could leave with their product the same day.

The Fishers’ idea to start a tie dye business first came to them in 2006. A friend of the Fishers told them to check out an art studio in Kansas offering tie dye on the side. They tossed around the idea of opening a tie dye studio, but the timing wasn’t right. Last year, the Fishers, along with their business partners Jerry and Barb Kozlowski, owners of several Culver’s locations, resurrected the idea and The Tie Dye Lab was formed.

Bart says they love the final stage of the tie dye process the best.

“Seeing someone imagine what they want, pick the colors and the design, create their item, and then be able to see what they created before they leave is the best part of the Lab,” Bart says. “The final phase. The joy that someone has made something like nothing else and that they will get to wear it possibly that day. It’s pretty cool.”

Kate Fisher works at the Lab and says she enjoys seeing what everyone creates.

“Everybody is so creative and unique,” she says. “The other day one girl said, ‘uh oh’ and I said, ‘there are no mistakes in tie dye!’ No matter what you do it’s always going to be cool, and it’s always going to be different.”

The Plainfield senior is a member of the volleyball team and said they are planning a team building night to come in and make warm-up shirts. The Tie Dye Lab can also do logo transfers and then you can tie dye on top.

Walk-ins are encouraged. A reservation is requested for a group or party of eight or more. Parties can bring in their own snacks and decorations. Each party will also have a dedicated staff person to help them with their designs.

All ages can tie dye, however they discovered that eight and under typically need extra help and certain designs are easier than others. While there will be staff to guide everyone, parents of children 8 years old should be ready to help with the process.

Currently, the hours are Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sunday 12 to 6 p.m. For more information visit thetiedyelab.com.

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