04/12/2025
CTD Owner’s Announcement:
With the current government administration tariffs and executive wishes, we are in a difficult place as a small 2SLGBTQIA+ woman owned business. I know that everyone will feel the economic, financial, and mental strain. I recognize it. You are not alone.
I will continue to create what I can with the steel supplies I have purchased before the current administration’s tariffs. I can not say how long my supplies will last.
When I ordered about 2 years ago, I had hoped that it would last 3-5 years at the rate I was making corsets. This would have allowed me to be fully settled into my new workspace before I had to think about ordering again. I currently have about half of what I ordered of steel supplies left.
The closing of JoAnn Fabrics will affect us eventually. I noticed the signs before the announcement of the store closures and bought what I knew I would need and use. This will create a hole in our local market, and I feel for the workers at JoAnn’s that are affected by this.
My workspace has had several delays; the original contractor ghosted us, and that started the year-long legal journey and finding a new contractor to work with us in the budget we had. We now have the space roughed-in built and are working on the inside finish work with money from our own pockets. The hope is to be done with inspections after Pride and maybe moved in fully before the end of the year.
I am not closing my business. I have worked hard to get it to where it is today. Many would have given up or gone in a different direction. I’m stubborn, and the dopamine I get when someone is surprised by the no pressure sales and quality makes it worth it. I may have to scale back on the quantity of each product that is available, along with the space I have at shows. The only reason I might reduce the number of shows is due to my daytime job that keeps everything going.
To everyone in the BIPOC & 2SLGBTQIA+ community: You are loved. You are worthy. You are a badass who doesn’t take s**t from anyone. There is a safe space with us. We hope to see you at Pride or at another one of our shows.