Hand me a bowling ball.....STRIKE!
The lack of Majic Carpet dye availability is becoming a desperate situation and anxiety is growing faster than mold in a damp basement. I am constantly asked what is going on, through several emails and phone calls a week as supplies are being exhausted all over North America. There are businesses out there, like us, who depend exclusively on the MC dyes to sell wool in their shops. Panic is setting in and after another frantic email yesterday, and phone call this morning, I thought I would cover it in today’s blog.
Truthfully I know as little as the next person. The situation is either unknown or people aren’t talking. I’ve put feelers out but nothing comes back. I’m not a cold, heartless bastard. I know something drastic must have happened to the players who manufacture the dyes…I sympathize, but that doesn’t help the fact that we are suffering here, and are scared shitless that the MC dyes are over. I have employees who depend on me and a business to run; I need answers to see what the future will hold. All I want is an answer to the question we are all thinking.....what is going on?
I feel, with our many dye books, that we have helped put the MC dyes on the map and it would be respectful to let us know one way or another if our business will be able to survive, give us the opportunity to plan for the worse scenario or just wait out this bump in the road until we see the light at the end of this tunnel. We are now so close to running out of blue we’re sweating bullets. We live in the Maritimes, wool for bodies of water and sky are staples to our stock. There are two more colours down to fumes so our dye pots are dangerously close to being retired.
For years our dye books have been hugely popular with our intricate formulas and rich colour combinations. We’ve built our business on these dyes, and have thousands of dollars’ worth of books stored in the closet. So I have a lot of paper to burn if the dyes are no longer available. Maybe I’ll wallpaper them to the kitchen walls as a constant reminder not to put all our eggs in one basket. Too bad outhouses weren’t still being used; we could throw out the Sear’s catalog and use the dye books, keeping the townsfolk in paper for a year.
I’m trying to make jokes and be optimistic, not exactly a quality I’m intimate with, especially being faced with pending doom. On occasion I’m known to be a glass half empty kind of soul who needs to constantly remind myself how fortunate I am in all things, but in this particular situation I need to have hope so desperately that I am willing to put on a smiley face and believe that everything will be okay.
My son is freaking because his job is on the line. No dyes, no work. I try to diffuse the angst by convincing him that whatever is going on will get straightened out, but in my head the words are caked with fear. I have sent off several emails saying that I would be more than happy to buy the rights to the dyes, that I would fly there to discuss the possibly, but they haven’t acknowledged the receipt of my offers. They don't answer the phone. Shane would be fabulous at mixing and supplying the dyes. His abilities for accuracy and strict attention to detail would make him a skilled chemist in mixing and blending the powders.
In the meantime we are being forced to diversify. I will have to buy other dyes to sell and use in the shop. If need be, I am hopeful we can adapt other dye powders to achieve the same colours we are known for. With a bit of work and a whole lot of patience it can be achieved, at least for the shop to continue offering the spectacular colours we supply the faithful customers who rely on our wool. And not to worry just yet, our shelves are stocked to capacity but by the end of summer if we don’t pick up the slack with other colorants it will start to look sad around here.
Maybe we will come up with our own dyes, who knows, the possibilities could be endless if we want them to be. Together, Shane and I could work it all out, we are two smart enough cookies. I only wish we knew one way or another the future of the MC dyes are so we can stop stressing over the unknown and start rebuilding from the ground up. We can’t afford to wait much longer and the longer we delay the harder it will be. In retrospect we should never have put all our eggs in one basket, and now that they are a rotten, scrambled mess, we have to think outside the box and come up with a plan B.
If anyone out there knows what the situation is, please take pity on us and email me privately to tell us one way or another, so we can choose which direction to follow and begin to pull our heads above water. I promise to be discreet.
P.S. - I wrote this several weeks ago in a rather dark moment but thought it best to wait a while longer, hoping against hope that word would come. But nothing has so we bit the bullet and stocked the shop with Jacquard Acid Dyes. Shane has been in the dye pots full time pumping out spectacular colours. We are very optimistic for the shop as they are a superior product and offer 40 colours to play with. Stay tuned for us to knock your socks off, or dye them if you wish!
Truthfully I know as little as the next person. The situation is either unknown or people aren’t talking. I’ve put feelers out but nothing comes back. I’m not a cold, heartless bastard. I know something drastic must have happened to the players who manufacture the dyes…I sympathize, but that doesn’t help the fact that we are suffering here, and are scared shitless that the MC dyes are over. I have employees who depend on me and a business to run; I need answers to see what the future will hold. All I want is an answer to the question we are all thinking.....what is going on?
I feel, with our many dye books, that we have helped put the MC dyes on the map and it would be respectful to let us know one way or another if our business will be able to survive, give us the opportunity to plan for the worse scenario or just wait out this bump in the road until we see the light at the end of this tunnel. We are now so close to running out of blue we’re sweating bullets. We live in the Maritimes, wool for bodies of water and sky are staples to our stock. There are two more colours down to fumes so our dye pots are dangerously close to being retired.
For years our dye books have been hugely popular with our intricate formulas and rich colour combinations. We’ve built our business on these dyes, and have thousands of dollars’ worth of books stored in the closet. So I have a lot of paper to burn if the dyes are no longer available. Maybe I’ll wallpaper them to the kitchen walls as a constant reminder not to put all our eggs in one basket. Too bad outhouses weren’t still being used; we could throw out the Sear’s catalog and use the dye books, keeping the townsfolk in paper for a year.
I’m trying to make jokes and be optimistic, not exactly a quality I’m intimate with, especially being faced with pending doom. On occasion I’m known to be a glass half empty kind of soul who needs to constantly remind myself how fortunate I am in all things, but in this particular situation I need to have hope so desperately that I am willing to put on a smiley face and believe that everything will be okay.
My son is freaking because his job is on the line. No dyes, no work. I try to diffuse the angst by convincing him that whatever is going on will get straightened out, but in my head the words are caked with fear. I have sent off several emails saying that I would be more than happy to buy the rights to the dyes, that I would fly there to discuss the possibly, but they haven’t acknowledged the receipt of my offers. They don't answer the phone. Shane would be fabulous at mixing and supplying the dyes. His abilities for accuracy and strict attention to detail would make him a skilled chemist in mixing and blending the powders.
In the meantime we are being forced to diversify. I will have to buy other dyes to sell and use in the shop. If need be, I am hopeful we can adapt other dye powders to achieve the same colours we are known for. With a bit of work and a whole lot of patience it can be achieved, at least for the shop to continue offering the spectacular colours we supply the faithful customers who rely on our wool. And not to worry just yet, our shelves are stocked to capacity but by the end of summer if we don’t pick up the slack with other colorants it will start to look sad around here.
Maybe we will come up with our own dyes, who knows, the possibilities could be endless if we want them to be. Together, Shane and I could work it all out, we are two smart enough cookies. I only wish we knew one way or another the future of the MC dyes are so we can stop stressing over the unknown and start rebuilding from the ground up. We can’t afford to wait much longer and the longer we delay the harder it will be. In retrospect we should never have put all our eggs in one basket, and now that they are a rotten, scrambled mess, we have to think outside the box and come up with a plan B.
If anyone out there knows what the situation is, please take pity on us and email me privately to tell us one way or another, so we can choose which direction to follow and begin to pull our heads above water. I promise to be discreet.
P.S. - I wrote this several weeks ago in a rather dark moment but thought it best to wait a while longer, hoping against hope that word would come. But nothing has so we bit the bullet and stocked the shop with Jacquard Acid Dyes. Shane has been in the dye pots full time pumping out spectacular colours. We are very optimistic for the shop as they are a superior product and offer 40 colours to play with. Stay tuned for us to knock your socks off, or dye them if you wish!
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Dyes are $5.50/Bottle
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