What We Do
Lady Dye Yarns, LLC is an eco-friendly indie-dye yarn business started in June 2010 that creates vibrant and colorful hand-painted yarns and accessories that are inspired by street art and city living. Demands for LDY has gone up since the year the company started. In 2011, LDY was in two stores. After attending their first trade show in 2014, The National NeedleArts Association, LDY is now in 30 stores across the nation (14 states). LDY expects to be in 60 stores by the end of 2015.
The Beginning...
Back in 2010, I took an amazing yarn dyeing workshop in Cambridge, MA and fell in love with hand-painted yarns! Back then, I was solely dyeing yarn for myself and I still remember the day I sat down with my local knitting group at Doyle's Cafe in Jamaica Plain, MA, and started knitting with my own hand-dyed yarn. Then someone suggested I should start selling my hand-painted yarns.
It never crossed my mind before to sell hand-dyed yarn as I was working a full-time job in the non-profit sector. I took that advice and I thought it would be great to make a "little money on the side." I became a member in a local artisan group. I participated in my first craft-show, SOWA, in the South End. I received great admiration of my yarn and from there, I decided to start my own fiber arts company. I left my full-time job in April of 2011 to focus my attention on finding part-time work in the arts community while spending the other time growing my business.
In 2013, I was one of the finalist selected in the Merrimack Valley Sandbox Accelerator program (now known as Entrepreneurship for All). I received a business mentor, I laid out a business model that would work for my company, and I received many resources and opportunities through EforAll. At the time, we were only in two stores and we were selling our yarn on consignment. I knew this was not good enough for Lady Dye Yarns to just be in two stores and I wanted more for my company. I did my first crowdfunding campaign with Indiegogo to attend our first trade show, The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA), and we raised enough money to go! We had huge success at TNNA! We went from being in two stores in 2014 to our present number of 30 stores nationally and we continue to grow thanks to all of you!
We are entering a new chapter in the company where we are ready to move into space, employ a Business Manager, increase raw material, expand our marketing and branding, and build our working capital. We need your help again to make this happen. We are raising $40,200 to expand the company.
What Will Lady Dye Accomplish
To be a leading manufacturer in one-of-a-kind yarns focusing on street art.
To become a major source for urban inspired knitwear designs
To be come a leader on urban knitting and crafting.
The focus of our sales reps have been to get LDY yarns into retail/boutique stores. They all receive 15% commission on all orders and reorders. In addition, LDY aims to have three designers (Boston, San Francisco, New York) create urban inspired knitwear for our target audience. As a company, LDY understands that 89% of knitters go online to find yarns, social groups, patterns, etc. Therefore, creating a vibrant website and social media presence, is important to Lady Dye Yarns growth.
What We Need: $40,200
Office Space for a year: $10,800
Raw Materials/Equipment: $10,000
Stitches West Conference (Santa Clara, CA): $5,400
Booth fees (two booth spaces $2,000)
2 round-trip tickets- $1,100
Hotel accommodations- $1,500
Cost of shipping materials (15 boxes at 20 x 20 x 20 weight: 35lbs each) $800
Marketing/Branding: $9,000
$5,000 will be spent for web developer to create a new website. IN ADDITION, to build a database/inventory system on the “back-end” of our website along with other online features for our customers to access.
$1,000 will go towards advertisement
$3,000 hiring a part-time social media coordinator for the rest of the fiscal year 2015 (September thru December 2015).
Working Capital: $5,000
- To be used for other business expenses that will arise and needed in the growth and marketing of Lady Dye Yarns.
What You Will Get As A Contributor
So much: yarn, tote bag, t-shirt, patterns, buttons, custom yarn,and personal social media "shout outs" to you from Lady Dye herself!
The Impact
Through your generous contribution, Lady Dye Yarns will be able to move the business to a office/dye room space that will allow the company to grow more efficiently and effectively.
These contributions will increase Lady Dye Yarns market and production into more stores by the end of 2016 and will continue to build the brand. We understand that in order to grow, I will need the support from all of you!
Additional information about our target market:
53 million people in the United States, either knit or crochet.
The target audience of the 18-34 year old is the fastest growing segment among knitters.
Furthermore, 89% of knitters go online to purchase yarn, patterns, and seek social knitting groups.
The target market navigates the online world, where they can find yarn, patterns, social knitting groups and so much more. LDY’s target population cite “creativity” as the number one reason they knit. This is where Lady Dye Yarns comes in. Our yarn colors and patterns are inspired by the urban environment around us; pattern designs that are simple and quick to knit. Lady Dye Yarns is a company geared towards them.
Other Ways To Help
- Tell your friends and family about our campaign
- Do you design knitwear? Do you know any yarn stores that Lady Dye Yarns should be at? EMAIL US! diane@ladydyeyarns.com
- Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: ladydyeyarns
- Join our mailing list: ladydyeyarns.com