Meet Amber Adcock | Tie Dye Artist & Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amber Adcock and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amber, why did you pursue a creative career?
Coty and I were fun chasing, adventure having hippies with little to no restrictions on life for a long time. When we started our family by welcoming our little boy, we realized living life this way was possible, but not the greatest for providing. When we decided to move out of our van and into a home, we pursued a small tie dye business to keep the bills paid and to keep the fun in our lives. Having a business you can run from home allowed us to be parents and workers full time without taking time away from home. Being able to stay home with our newborn was the best thing this creative adventure gave us. Now we hit the road for shows, tie dye vending, and music festivals, being able to afford the adventure and pay the bills at the same time.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We are not the first set of people to begin this tie dye venture. Tie dye has been around for over 50 years but taking a step into that world is easy when you are already in love with it. Before we had a home to do these in, we could only do them when visiting family. Time was unlimited but space was not. It started out as experimenting, a fun craft to do once in awhile, but then we got pregnant. We knew at that point it was time to make some serious strides. During the course of our first year as parents, our living situation dramatically changed three times. Building a business all while re-building our home over and over again was beyond difficult. Many times we had to put tie dyes on the back burner, and settle for other means of income. Weather that was me doing house cleaning, or Coty doing painting jobs. It was hard to feel like that would change when we had become dependent on it. While all of this was happening we were living in the middle of no where so traveling to sell tie dyes was also increasingly difficult. Taking on three different businesses with a newborn is not an easy feat. You learn to find balance within it all. When to wake up early, when to reach out for help, and when to take the next step were all important lessons. Timing is everything but planning life never comes with instructions. We started very small. Selling used/thrifted shirts that were tie dyed and upcycled. Our sales were high but our prices were so low because we felt too insecure to aim for higher price tags. Tie dye is a skill that requires time to build and we felt that our skill levels were so low, the only way to grow was to start small. Very small. Our booth became known as the $5 tie dye booth. Many of our stuff we saved from going to landfills, being tossed into the trash or being sent to a thrift store that may do the same. This is how Stealy Dealies started and we are so grateful that people appreciated what we were doing. It was hard for anyone to turn down a $5 shirt or a cool pair of $5 pants. We sold out many times, but didn’t make enough profits to keep business running this way. Luckily, we have the opportunity to still upcycle, save clothing and reduce waste while also selling brand new shirts for prices we think are both fair and profitable. We are very fortunate to take these lessons, work with them and through them, and share what we know now with others. Tie dye is becoming very popular again and many new entrepreneurs are learning from each other, sharing their skills, and supporting new businesses along the way. We are forever grateful to be a part of that.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Orange County is where we reside now, but we have lived all over southern California at different points in our lives. When we do have friends visiting the area we like to take them out of the city if possible. But when that is not, the beach is our favorite local spot. Huntington Dog beach is a family favorite. Since we don’t like to leave the house without the doggos, this is our go-to. During the weekend, we love visiting the local swap meet for the best deals on clothing, new plants, and food truck meals. Golden West Swap Meet is the best! When taking our friends out, we like to emphasize the importance of getting Pho and other Asian cuisines. We live in the heart of Little Saigon and the food around here is so delicious and authentic. Even the vegan restaurants here will blow your mind. Mitasie in Huntington and Pho Vinh Ky in Garden Grove are the number two places we bring our visiting friends.

OC is full of amazing parks, beautiful hikes like Crystal Cove and Santiago Canyon. There are raves everywhere, fun dance day parties at Woodley Park and Dockweiler Beach, and many of our friend family throws them so we go for both support and entertainment. Our schedule is never empty but there are so many options is a hard decision every time.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Family is everything! The people who helped raise us and give us endless support plus the friends we have chosen over the years. We have our mother and mentor, Majeda, who constantly reminds us that we are capable of being the best business owners we can imagine. She provides us the freedom and the help that we always need. Her expertise in business is one of our greatest assets, and her love for us and her grandson make everything stronger. Our friends, our tribe, and our hippie family is the reason we have our rainbow wears all of the country. Thanks to every purchase, share, like and comment we have had no trouble selling our products and bringing new customers in each month. The love our family of friends have given us endlessly keeps the inspiration flowing. We are so appreciated as tie dye artists and as parents. The motivation reciprocates around here, and that is the best thing we can ask for. We have inspired so many, and have been inspired by more.

Website: https://www.facebook.com/stealydealies/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/StealyDealies