In Ellicott City, MD, Nicole Dutra found a passion for hand dying clothes and fabrics. After years of experimentation with different methods of tie dying, she found ice dying her favorite. A couple more years later, she decided to sell her work and create a business out of it. She named her business Dutraville, and creates all of her pieces from home. She sells her work both from Instagram and Etsy, but she also does custom orders. Nicole provides excellent customer service with both quick shipping and, if you’re in the area, she will even drive it to you. She even will give you a personal tour of her studio and explain the process behind ice dying, show you all of her dyes, and even let you help her get a project started! She sells everything from tote bags to hoodies to Turkish towels, and she provides a discount if you want her to dye an article of clothing (or other cotton piece) that you already have. Her business is still growing, but it is definitely already worth her time. Nicole has had stands at many small business fairs, most commonly being outside Su Casa on Main Street in Old Ellicott City one Saturday of every month. She has even had the opportunity to partner with other small business owners and combine their products and skills! Dutraville is one of my favorite small businesses to support.
I always love it when businesses come from hobbies. They are fun for the entrepreneur and beneficial to the customers. One of my favorite parts about Dutra’s business is that she can dye clothing that customers already have. This is a great way to offer alternative services without requiring her to change her business model. She pivoted her business multiple ways to gain more customers.