A colorful, new business has taken over Sushi House’s location this summer in Hoboken. Tipsy Tie Dye, co-founded by siblings Katie Tague and Kevin Tague, has been popping up at restaurants and bars for the last few years, and now, the tie-dye company is operating permanently at 155 1st Street in Hoboken. Read on to learn all about the fun things behind the business of Tipsy Tie Dye – now open in Hoboken.
^Tipsy Tie Dye founders Katie Tague and Kevin Tague
(Photo credit: @tipsytiedye)
The Background
The idea of Tipsy Tie Dye was established in October 2018. Prior to this, co-founder Katie Tague worked in the world of fashion for over a decade. Her brother, Kevin, transitioned five years ago from being a chemist to co-creating the garment tie-dye program — which later turned into this much bigger concept of mixing tie-dye not just on material, but also in booze!
“Both of us came from the corporate world and at some point, neither of us fit into that world. So we wanted to create a place that’s not only for us, but that is a place for everybody to come and party with us,” Tague tells Hoboken Girl.
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“Kevin and I, our stories have come out of a certain amount of tragedy [which is why] it’s so important for us to celebrate life and inclusivity, universality, welcoming people — feeling that joy with anyone and everyone. That is our brand mission and our brand identity. We are an LGBTQ-owned company. LGBTQ is in our family and our blood and our DNA, and so is diversity. And so, that’s going to be a big part of who we are.”
(Photo credit: @tipsytiedye)
The single mom says the first-ever event she hosted locally was at her daughter Lex’s dance studio, the Garden Street School of the Performing Arts. “All the moms came and I brought the BYOB and we had our first one to try it out and see what people thought of it,” she recalls.
After that, the rest is history. Tipsy Tie Dye became a staple at promotional events at bars and restaurants in Jersey City and Hoboken. From LITM and 80 River Bar & Kitchen, to The Pig and Parrot and Wicked Wolf Tavern, Katie says her company was “back to back” booked.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Tague had to think outside the box.
“During Covid, everything changed. We took a step back and looked at what we were doing and [thought about] how we wanted to move forward and what the future looked for us. We decided that it was to have our own location,” she says.
(Photo credit: @tipsytiedye)
Taking Over Sushi House
Tague says she and her brother began looking for a space at the beginning of this year. When they stumbled upon Sushi House’s vacant location, she remembers her decision to grab the next lease was “just a no-brainer” and calls it the “perfect” space for Tipsy Tie Dye.
“We found NJ to be such a strong community, such a strong support, it had to be here,” Tague says. “We love Hoboken and the people of Hoboken and Jersey City. We found a lot of support here, and so that’s why giving back is part of our story. Both of us came here (to NJ) in situations of hard times and we just found the love.”
The Union City resident, originally from the Chicago area, now wants Tipsy Tie Dye to be a community hub that will bring together people from all different backgrounds and be a source for “art design and inspiration.”
^ Current window display at Tipsy Tie Dye
(Photo credit: @tipsytiedye)
“We’re ready to invite people in to have fun and be creative,” she says. “We found that during Covid, DIY Pinterest searches went up 463 percent. I think the color, the vibrancy, the versatility that is tie-dye, it’s just perfect for what we went through [during the pandemic], which was a tough, colorless time.”
While in progress, the storefront windows at Tipsy Tie Dye were decorated with cutouts from magazines over the last few weeks, all of which are photos that “stand for diversity and unification.” The business has already brought some color and joy to 1st Street, but it’s just a tease of all the “fun stuff” that’s to come. The new window design is on display for the grand opening.
What Locals Can Expect
The Sushi House is “definitely going to get a facelift,” she says while sharing one little spoiler: the kitchen space is going to be converted into a wash house, “a small wash development facility for co-ops for resident artists and designers to utilize, as well as serving the fashion industry for small orders.”
(Photo credit: @tipsytiedye)
The front of the house is a retail boutique featuring designers from the community and dyeable merchandise. Customers will be able to pick from a selection of t-shirts, hoodies, sweatpants, and so forth, they would like to dye, or they can choose from a selection of colored items.
If the customers choose to tie-dye on-site, they can either take it away with them that day, or have it shipped or picked up the following day once it dries.
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Tague says Tipsy Die Tye will also host happy hours and events (think “sip and paint-type concept”), and be teaming up with local charities and organizations as well as schools.
The business will be available to book for private events, such as promotional events at bars and restaurants, bachelorette parties, and even baby gender reveal parties.
To stay in the know, scan the QR code that’s on the storefront window and also follow Tipsy Tie Dye on Instagram here.
