Arlene Falcon opened her local, small business, Tye Dye Everything, in Moscow 20 years ago.
Inspired by hippie festivals such as Woodstock and the rock band The Grateful Dead, she began with t-shirts, socks and underwear. Now, she dyes more than 175 different items.
Nestled in the back corner of a shared building with Mikey’s Gyros on Main Street, the quaint store is home to Falcon, her three employees and the entire tie-dye process.
Allison Spain | Argonaut
Arlene Falcon opened Tye Dye Everything 20 years ago. The store, located on Moscow’s Main Street, sells a variety of tie-dyed products.
“One of my favorite parts about running this business is sales and being with the people, getting to share the joy of color because it comes straight from my heart and people can tell,” Falcon said. “Even after 30 years of tie dying, it is still a fun and revealing surprise to see how the dye will turn out overnight — something that keeps every day real and fresh.”
Her inventory encompasses 12 categories, ranging from accessories to bed, bath and kitchen.
She said some fun and unique tie-die projects she has done in the past include a large elk hide, drum heads, lab coats and scrubs.
The winter season is a slower time for the store, Falcon said. But it allows her and her employees time to replace back stock items for summer festivals and shows as best as she can.
She travels to about 12 festivals every year, with two in Seattle and Spokane. The rest are closer to home.
This year, she said she hopes to travel to her home state of New York in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Woodstock.
“One of the early shows that I went to, a friend of mine said, ‘Your colors sing,’ and they really do,” Falcon said. “They’re out there and they catch people’s attention because they’re so colorful, cheery and bright, and people are attracted to that.”
Lauretta Campbell, owner of Hyperspud Sports, has known Falcon for more than a decade as a member of Buy Local Moscow, a group of locally owned businesses.
“She is someone who is really passionate about her art and sharing it with the community — not only Moscow, but all around,” Campbell said. “It shows you that it doesn’t really matter where you’re located — when you’re passionate about something, it shows — it doesn’t necessarily have to be in a metropolitan area.”
Campbell said there is a lot to be said for the fact that customers can go into Falcon’s store, maybe see a pattern or color they like that is not in the right size or shape and ask to have it made for them.
She said it gives the store a unique, hand-made aspect.
Small businesses have a stereotype of doing things in a “small town way,” but that should not be seen as a negative aspect, Campbell said. It allows them to get to know their customers through plenty of time and interaction with them.
“Small business owners have the chance to interact with their customers on a daily basis, ultimately resulting in a really curated offering to our local customers,” Campbell said. “We can help aid customers in some of their decisions because we have done the research and have purposefully picked every single thing that is in our store.”
Allison Spain | Argonaut
Tye Dye Everything is yet another cool, little shop people can go and check out, Campbell said.
Even in big cities, tie-dye can be found, she said, but someone with as much experience as Falcon cannot be found elsewhere.
Amanda Shourd has been working for Falcon just shy of a year, but has known her for several as a former University of Idaho student.
“My favorite part about working here is the tie-dye process — creating something and then having to wait overnight to see what it looks like. It’s like Christmas every morning,” Shourd said. “It is a chance to be creative, even when there are certain patterns and colors that need to be done.”
She said the shop is unique because everything is done entirely by hand, from dying and tying to making the homemade dye each morning. With three employees in total, Shourd said all of them will often touch just one garment before it is finished.
Shourd said Falcon has created a well-established, unique business, which has made it easier to survive over time. Falcon is connected with the community in more than one way. She doesn’t just do tie-dye, she helps with the Renaissance Fair, Hemp Fest and is part of Buy Local Moscow, Shourd said.
“We get a lot of people that come in just for Arlene, and she has some really loyal clients,” she said. “We take a lot of pride in what we do, especially with custom orders, so the tie dyes we create are unique in themselves and that’s what people look for—they aren’t machine printed, each one is individual. … I think tie-dye is making a comeback.”
Allison Spain can be reached at [email protected]