Today we’d like to introduce you to Cat Howell.
Hi Cat, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Of course! My name is Catherine, but everyone calls me Cat. I’m a Jacksonville native and busy mom of 2 sweet kiddos. I love the beach, working out, traveling and discovering all the vegan food on the first coast.
I guess 2020 is a great place to start my story. Life did a complete 180 as I went from a fast-paced sales career to helping my son virtual school. I ended up losing that job as everything began to shut down. Ironically enough, I started an online small business course 6 days before becoming unemployed. I’ve always known I was going to work for myself – I just didn’t know what to do! But the stars began to align and the seed had been planted. It was only a matter of time before I made sure that dream would take root.
Fast forward to August 2020, we decided to pull my son from public school and homeschool. On a whim, I created a weekly meetup group, “Jax Homeschoolers • Fun Fridays,” that grew quickly and is still going strong today, with over 1,700 local families in our community. Jill, my best friend out in Salt Lake City, Utah (and co-owner of A Tie Dye Shop), wanted to teach my son a virtual tie dye homeschool class, so she curated and shipped us the most amazing professional kit. That was it! After that class, I was hooked, and the rest was history. From over 2,200 miles away, Jill would teach me complicated ties over FaceTime while we would catch up and chat. It was wild sharing something so hands-on and tangible with my soul sister across the country. We look forward to the day we can tie dye in person together! She played a huge part in the establishment of ATDP, and I owe so much of its success to her.
I enjoyed tie-dyeing so much that I wanted to share it with everyone. With Jill’s help, I combined my background in event planning + marketing with what I learned in that business course and began hosting tie-dye parties with my homeschool group. This was back in December 2020, and we’ve been tie-dyeing every season since. We recently dyed almost 40 tanks, tees, and leggings at our 7th “Fun FriDYE” to kick off the summer. For the first half of 2021, I hosted several parties as the Event Director of Jill’s A Tie Dye Shop. I officially launched A Tie Dye Party in July of 2021. It has been a wild ride ever since!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’m about to celebrate one year in business and have had my fair share of obstacles and hard lessons! I would still choose this over working for someone else any day. My number one challenge would be balancing motherhood and homeschooling while being a full-time entrepreneur. What I do has my hands tied up, and I sometimes have to wait until the kids are in bed even to start my work day. Hats off to all of the mompreneurs.
I’ve been blazing this trail as I go, so it took some major trial and error to see what people were and weren’t interested in. I’ve had to modify my products and services a few times, but remaining flexible has resulted in some exciting things. The biggest pill to swallow was realizing that few understand the time, pressure, and stress it takes to launch and build an entire brand from the ground up. I hold on tight to the ones who understand that and continue to support me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I can confidently say there’s nothing quite like A Tie Dye Party – and I’m very proud of that. Helping my guests create their wearable art and bringing their visions to life has been incredibly fulfilling. To see their unique personalities woven into the final reveal never ceases to amaze me. I believe people like this concept so much because tie dye can be rather intimidating. They have peace of mind in outsourcing something so potentially messy and disappointing. You also don’t get a professional color consultant and hype girl with your Tulip kit or YouTube video. The personal touch goes a long way.
Beyond the tie-dyeing, I enjoy assisting my clients in organizing their events. I create a private webpage for each party where guests can RSVP, submit sizes and designs, or even purchase shirts. It’s all customizable, and I’ve received amazing feedback on how much this has helped hosts streamline their process with a polished, professional touch. We’ve done parties at venues, homes, parks, markets, and festivals. I’m fully mobile and bring everything to the event location, tied up and ready to dye. After we’re done, I seal the garment for them to take home and provide the “VIP After Party” link, which is our wash-out and after-care instructions.
One of the best parts is the anticipation and excitement of seeing the final product the next day. Jill called this “Hippie Christmas” because it has you feeling like a kid again on Christmas eve! Finding joy in simple things is the best. For most parties, I mix up the liquid using procion MX dyes. I have a collection of almost 80 colors and always bring at least 20 to a party. I also offer smaller, more intimate parties where we use the ‘ice dye’ method. This is when ice is melted with the powdered dye over the garment. Ice dyeing gives a different look because one color splits into several. Liquid or ice, the washed-out results are always unbelievable and have people really proud of themselves.
I believe we’ve built up several regulars because it’s something people didn’t know they were missing! Some of our tie dyers have already made 9 or 10 shirts, tanks, totes, and leggings with us and are still talking about their “next one.” Their excitement makes me excited. I make custom tie-dye, too. You tell me the design, color palette, and size, and I take it from there.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was a pretty shy and introverted kid. It wasn’t until I started dancing and getting involved in the arts that I would come out of my shell. I fell in love with performing and was an entirely different kind when I stepped foot onto the stage.
For several years, I lost touch with that creative energy. Adulting is hard, so carving out time to be playful, create and nurture my inner child has been so important to me. It feels destined that I was introduced to tie dye at such a pivotal moment in my life. This art form has put me back in touch with the little girl that loved to express herself. It reignited this bright, beautiful flame within me, and I’m so happy to share it with others.
Pricing:
- Youth shirts start at $33
- Women shirts start at $38
- Men shirts start at $42
- We’re now offering leggings, biker shorts and cotton totes
- Group rate discount is 10% off 8 shirts or more
Contact Info:
- Website: www.atiedyeparty.com
- Instagram: @atiedyeparty
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atiedyeparty
Image Credits
These are all casual photos taken by myself, friends and family!
