TUFTING IN THE CITY

Colorful, comfy, and creative are the three C’s that perfectly describe Tutuland Boston, a creative studio space where you can learn to tuft your own rug, acrylic pour paint onto Kaws figures, or design your own iPhone case. The 3 C’s are the foundation that four business partners used to create a calming and memorable atmosphere. This niche market they have tapped into welcomes both walk-ins and reservations where customers can create their own pieces and memories. Within this space When talking with one of the partners, Lily Zhao, she expressed how important it was for her, Glenn Gao, Johnny Chan, and Jay Yu to have a calm environment. Getting to see the joy crafting brings bring to all the customers who visit is equally important to why the business was created and helps to embrace the environment.

“Every time the customer looks at what they created it will be a reminder of that moment,” said Zhao.

Tutuland Boston is located at 115 Brighton Avenue in Allston, Massachusetts. The location chosen is a highly populated area filled with restaurants and stores. The audience that tends to be drawn in is the younger crowd. When they first opened in July 2022, they weren’t expecting the business to grow as rapidly as it did. The popularity of the store seems to grow every day through social media influence. Many customers began to post about their experiences and the crafts they were creating. This studio creates pure moments of joy for not only the business owners but for every customer to create special moments with the people they care about.

The atmosphere and overall inviting feeling from the partners and the environment they have created is one of the best things about Tutuland Boston. Warm lighting, quiet music, and soft comfy yarns all around feed into the dream-like experience. It is not only a business, but a community. A heartwarming and touching story that Zhao shared was one time they got to assist with and witness a proposal happen in the store. This should tell you all that needs to be said about the type of lovely and welcoming environment that has been created and shared with the community.

Now you may be wondering, what is tufting? Tufting is the creation of a textile where yarn is threaded through a base to create shape and texture. This base is usually a mat. After it is done, it creates little u-shape loops on the back so the image is seen on the reverse side. The most popular type of tufted art is a rug. Tufting was developed originally as an old European craftsmanship of embroidering rugs and creating three-dimensional textile surfaces. In recent years, the craft has seen a new surge in popularity due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting growth of media usage. It has become a popular art form and a way to relieve stress

within the upcoming generation. The rise of do-it-yourself decor became a popular pass time enjoyment over recent years, creating full-circle moments in history from back in the 1950s and 1960s. This craft could be considered both practical and a form of enjoyment, connecting people back to the physical world rather than a technological world. It reminds us to take time to further our creative skills and spend time with others.

Upon entering Tutuland, the customer will be asked to choose from preselected images or provide a reference image for personal inspiration. With the selected image it’s now time to get crafting! The chosen design will be projected onto the material where tracing will begin with a marker. After the image has been traced, a teacher will a demonstrate how to use the tufting gun, this includes the act of threading and beginning production. After that, it is time to go to the yarn wall and pick out the colors for the design. Now it is time for the real deal, the artist puts the tufting gun to the mat and gets started. Once the design is fully filled to the liking of the customer, instructions will be given on how to glue the back. The piece will then taken to the trimming room where it will be finished. This entire process takes a different amount of time depending on the size, but the small ones take about two to three hours whereas the mega ones can take about half the day. What could be better than spending a whole day with family and friends getting to be creative, chat, and laugh?

“Tutuland is my dream.” said Zhao.

All of the owners have a personal connection as to why they felt so driven to start a creative business. For Zhao, her passion started when she used to watch her grandmother sew and make things for her family. This ties her personal connection with why they wanted to foster a community around these crafts, to provide an outlet for others to come together and explore creative outlets. Some of Zhao’s personal favorite crafts are a tufted bag and personalized phone cases. When the store isn’t busy, Gao takes some time to work on his own creations. Most of the work that adorns the walls are Gao’s pieces, all of them unique, enlightening his commitment and enjoyment for the business. While this business is in its early stages, they have already been looking into expanding to other states and cities, so that they can spread this community and space nationwide. Their current space is only about 1,400 square feet. It holds on average about six to ten people at a time, and there are plans to expand the growing customer base.

Every u-shaped loop in the tufting is like a member of the community who comes into the store, all getting to connect in this creative, comfy, and colorful studio, full of life and ready for your next creative venture.

@tutuland.boston

Kassie Fisher