A tie-dye studio that pours beer and wine alongside dye vats is coming to Manhattan's East Village. Tipsy Tie Dye is planning to open a studio at 191 Avenue A at East 12th Street, bringing its hands-on, boozy craft concept to the neighborhood for the first time.
The proposal, detailed on a Community Board 3 liquor license docket, describes the concept as a “paint-and-sip” tie-dye art studio and bar where customers can create tie-dyed apparel with the option of a beer or wine, according to EV Grieve. The filing calls for seating for 46 people and one L-shaped bar, with the business closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The liquor license application lists Amanda Rust as the principal, and the site is classified on the docket as Rusty Retail LLC, a recreation facility and exhibition hall. The space most recently housed Stand-Up MRI.
Rust, who will lead what is described as Tipsy Tie Dye's first franchise-owned location, first visited the original Hoboken studio about three and a half years before this story, according to WhatNow. She told the outlet she believed the concept would do well in Manhattan and said the East Village space will have strong visibility. Rust also said she believes the format brings people together through creativity and shared experiences.
From a Hoboken Pop-Up to a Manhattan Storefront
Tipsy Tie Dye traces back to October 2018, when siblings Katie and Kevin Tague first developed the idea, per Hoboken Girl. Katie brought more than a decade of fashion industry experience to the venture, while Kevin, a former chemist, helped co-create the company's garment tie-dye program. The pair hosted pop-up events in Hoboken and Jersey City before opening their first permanent storefront at 155 First Street in Hoboken in 2021, according to the same account. The company has pointed to a reported 463 percent jump in DIY Pinterest searches during the COVID-19 period as part of the backdrop for its rise.
The brand has since expanded with a second location at American Dream in East Rutherford, where guests can design and customize hoodies, T-shirts, tote bags, scarves and hats, as reported by NJBIZ. That outpost is open daily for walk-in sessions and also hosts private events such as birthday parties, family celebrations and team-building outings. At the Hoboken studio, customers can take their tie-dyed pieces home the same day or arrange shipping or next-day pickup once the dye sets, the same account notes.
What's Planned for the East Village Space
The Manhattan studio is expected to combine elements from Tipsy Tie Dye's existing flagship locations while offering a larger footprint than the original Hoboken shop, per WhatNow. Katie Tague said the brand was built by extending the joy of tie-dye and adding alcohol to the experience, and she said the new location is designed to retain an intimate studio feeling even with more room for customers.
Food offerings proposed for the Avenue A location include snacks, meat-and-cheese boards, hot pretzels and pizza bites, according to EV Grieve's review of the CB3 filing. WhatNow reports the East Village space will feature a bar setup with stools, tavern wine by the glass or bottle, and two beers on tap. The location is also expected to be family friendly during the day while accommodating date nights, nights out with friends and birthdays for guests of all ages later on, and both walk-ins and reservations for groups are expected to be welcome.
Tie-dye items available across the brand's locations include sweatshirts, sweatpants, hoodies, T-shirts, bucket hats, bags and even dog sweaters, with pricing that varies by item; guests can also bring their own garments for a dye fee. A debut in late fall or early winter has been floated, though the CB3 and State Liquor Authority review process has not concluded, and no final approval or opening date has been confirmed.
