America's first rug-tufting studio fires up creativity

Long Island City, Queens -- During the Covid-19 pandemic, fiber artists brought the niche art form of rug tufting to the public's attention through social media.

If you've spent hours scrolling through TikTok and Instagram, watching these makers at work and wishing you could do the same, Scattered Kind is here to make your rug-making dreams a reality. Scattered Kind is the nation's first rug-tufting studio.

In each class session, students will pick a custom design and learn how to use the gun to make their very own rug. Scattered Kind was born when its owner, Andrew Kim, was still working in the corporate digital marketing world. He had encountered the art of rug tufting on social media, and as a creative person, Kim felt he needed to try it out for himself.

He bought all the supplies and started to teach himself how to tuft. But unexpected to Kim, this triggered him to make a significant life change.

"The day after I started learning, I had this whole like breakdown at work actually, and I kinda just put my two weeks in on the spot," Kim recalled.

He felt the corporate world was not fulfilling his artistic passions and knew he needed to start a different path. After quitting his job, he did not have a real plan, so he began to sell the rugs he was making and increasingly took on more and more commissions.

Then, Kim had the idea to start a tufting studio where he could host workshops for anyone who wanted to try this new craft.
"One, I saw that a tufting studio just didn't exist in the country, and two, I saw that, you know, as a business, I could work with a lot more people, and this could be something that's more of an experience," Kim explained.

One large commission to make a six-foot rug of a popular meme led to him being able to afford a down payment on his first studio, which could only fit about two students at a time.

After about five moves, Scattered Kind has landed in a spacious studio in Long Island City, Queens, that can now hold up to 15 people per class.

You're welcomed directly into the bright and colorful studio loft when the elevator doors open. Playful murals and completed rugs line the walls, all the yarn is organized by color, creating a captivating rainbow display, and the whirring of the tufting guns echoes through the air.

"Scattered Kind is such a great place for people who just want to create and consider themselves multi-passionate, poly-crafters, craft gods," said Lisa, an Open Studio Member at Scattered Kind.

Although running a business is no easy feat, Kim feels much less stress and has not experienced burnout since starting the studio.

"Seeing those smiling faces and just seeing people have a good time - it just makes all this work and all this time worth it," said Kim.