Tie-Dyes of Tulsa

Driving down 11th Street (a.k.a. historic Route 66) in Tulsa, you can’t miss Tie-Dyes of Tulsa.

Just look for the owner’s colorful Volkswagen van, which is covered with hand-painted designs worthy of Janis Joplin.

Kelly Killion, proprietor of the business, keeps the spirit of the 1960s alive in her incense-scented shop, where she creates works of wearable art featuring hearts for Valentine’s Day, shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day, and rainbow-colored spirals and splotches for any time of the year.

Killion’s work — which includes T-shirts, hats, baby onesies, hoodies, sports bras, scarves, and socks tie-dyed to appeal to the hippie in all of us — covers the windows and fills the small front room of the two-story house that serves as a studio and base of operations. Killion hosts tie-dye parties at the shop or on-site, and custom jobs are available.

Most items range in price from $10 to $20. I gave about $10 for a screaming blue and purple newsboy hat, and another $10 for a tie-dyed onesie for my infant nephew.

Catching Killion in the shop can be challenging; like most hippies, she isn’t particularly fascinated by the concept of time, and the sign on the front door listing her hours indicates that she is open from “noonish to 5:00ish” Tuesday through Friday and “noonish to 3:00ish” Saturday. The business is closed Sunday and Monday.

A Tulsa World article about the business can be found here.

Grades:
Value: A
Service: B
Convenience: B-
Product: A
Overall: B+

~ by redforkhippie on February 7, 2007.