The tie-dyed life

Jill Weed and Bill Ricciardi have been operating The Edge, a shop in Center Harbor, since 2013. Weed has been making tie-dyed clothing for nearly 30 years. (Adam Drapcho/Laconia Daily Sun)

Center Harbor artist finds colorful creations the key to her success

By ADAM DRAPCHO, LACONIA DAILY SUN

CENTER HARBOR — Jill Weed, who grew up in New York City, thought she could make a living as a crafter selling her silver jewelry at craft fairs. To set her product apart, she used tie-dyed cloth to line her jewelry boxes. To her surprise, the liners gained more attention than the jewelry. That's how Weed began her career in tie-dying nearly 30 years ago, and she hasn't had the need to deviate from tie-dying since.

Since 2013, Weed, with the help of her husband and business partner, Bill Ricciardi, has operated their business out of 217 Whittier Highway in Center Harbor. Weed is the creative and productive force behind the business, making all of the tie-dyed products by hand, as well as taking them to craft fairs such as the Boston Spring Festival, taking place April 8 and 9 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. Ricciardi runs the shop, the stock of which is about half of Weed's myriad designs and colors of tie-dyed clothing, and half the creations of more than 50 other local craft people.

There's an eclectic array of products – artwork, pottery, wooden utensils, mittens – but Ricciardi said everything fits one or more of three categories: colorful, earthy or funky.

In Center Harbor, the tie-dyed duo has found the relief they were looking for after life in one of the world's most hectic places.

"When the kids grew up, we decided we didn't want to stay in crowded New York City," Weed said. They attended a craft show in New Hampshire and said, "Woo ... this is nice." Since moving to town, they've felt welcomed to the small but interesting group of shops in town, and have been active members of the Center Harbor Community Development Association, which puts on events such as the SkateFest in the winter, and LobsterFest in the summer.

"People have a preconceived notion that it's a hippie shop," Weed said of their business. What people find when they walk in is an assortment of tie-dyed clothing that ranges from onesies and toddler clothes to dresses and sweatshirts, dyed using vibrant, professional dyes, and other items of a similar level of craftsmanship.

"We take it to a different level. It's very sophisticated," said Weed. She offers 90 different clothing styles, and 90 different color patterns, including batik designs. They guarantee that their clothing will not shrink, fade or run.

"They're going to stay looking like this for years," said Ricciardi. The product has continued to enjoy a strong demand partly because of that quality, and partly because of the specific characteristics of tie-dyed clothing. No two items in the store are identical, and they all are colorful.

"I think people have a natural attraction to color," Ricciardi said.

Though they've only been in operation for four years, they already have developed dedicated customers who make a visit to the store a part of their annual trips to the region. And they keep Weed busy, especially during the busy summer season, when she works six days a week, producing as many as 1,800 tie-dyed items per week. Her biggest challenge in the business is keeping up with that demand.

"I paid a mortgage and sent two kids to college using tie-dye," Weed said. And it is all thanks to the day she decided to give her jewelry box liners a unique flair. "I stumbled on it by accident."

The Edge's winter hours are Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Summer hours will resume on May 1, when the store will be open every day except Tuesday. Weed and Ricciardi also offer their products through www.theedgetiedye.com.