Pandemic Reflections: Fabric and upholstery store making a slow recovery
Posing next to their storefront, brothers Ian Densford and Ryan Lindsay smile for the camera, while Josh Densford breaks his pose to wave to a departing customer.
Faith Evans
Walk into Out of My Mindesigns fabric on a Saturday morning, and the store is hemming with energy – customers toting long rolls of fabric, the Densford brothers (and owners) rushing between store registers, two quiet puppies wagging their tails and gazing up through the mesh of a portable baby crib. Masks may be going out of fashion, but fabric and DIY projects? Not at all. “It’s been crazy busy. A lot of RV stuff, outdoor activities, patio cushions,” Josh Densford told the Appeal, pausing between interview questions to help customers at the front counter. “That was one of our biggest scares (with lifted pandemic restrictions). Would people come out and still do what they need to do for small businesses like us?” It’s a sharp contrast to last year, during the height of the pandemic. When the Densfords couldn’t allow customers into the store under state restrictions, they had to pick up a slightly new business model: selling custom, handmade facial masks.
By Josh’s count, to date Out of My Mindesigns has made close to 12,000 masks. Though many of them are scattered among Carson City businesses and residents, some have made it out to California, Chicago, New York, and beyond. They prioritized first responder clients (who came from all over), but a few local buyers included Click Bond, Raley’s, and Nothing Bundt Cake. “We got it down to where my brother Ian was cutting the masks, my brother Ryan was cutting elastic. We had other family members sewing, but I was the main sewer, and I got it down to a minute and 42 seconds to sew a mask,” Josh said. He added that his hands never hurt, but his back did from leaning over the machine for long hours. Some days he had to come in at 5 a.m. and stay until 1 a.m. to meet demand. He was always worried about paying bills month to month; Out of My Mindesigns didn’t get much in the way of government assistance. They didn’t qualify for Paycheck Protection Program loans, and Josh felt like he was always missing deadlines or paperwork to qualify for financial aid. Luckily, he didn’t have to face those challenges alone. Being a small, family-run business came with a few advantages. “It was more of a team effort,” said Kaytlain Densford, Josh’s sister. “Whenever we had chances to go over there to make masks, that’s what we did… the family had to work together to make it all happen.” Even family friends and frequent customers stopped by to help with production, according to Josh and Kaytlain.
Alongside their sewing volunteers, they also had a lot of community interest and involvement. When Kaytlain started wearing specialty cotton and lace masks to the gym she works out at in Dayton, other gym members approached her, asking if she could hook them up with their own. “It did look kind of funny, like a pair of underwear or a bra cup on the face,” Josh joked. “But it still allowed them to breathe.” Kaytlain said that it was exciting to see the masks she had helped make around town. She’s a teacher, and once in a while she would stumble across one of her students wearing an Out of My Mindesign mask. Josh said that, as a small family business, he also had the slight advantage of being cozy with his suppliers. Despite material shortages, they still managed to keep essential products in stock, like elastic.
“We were buying crates of it, 10,000 yards at a time, and going through that in a month,” Josh said. Sewing machines were also scarce at the height of the pandemic. The benefit there is that Out of My Mindesigns still has plenty customers who want to keep up with their newfound love of sewing. “Now that we’re done with all of that, we’re still having people coming in and remembering us and everything we’ve done,” Josh said. “Through all of it – I mean, we have a fantastic community who’s willing to come out and support us.” Another light at the end of the tunnel: just three months ago, Out of My Mindesigns stopped stocking pre-made masks on their front counter. Aside from the occasional one-off customer who needs a new mask, it’s a slow return to normalcy for the Densfords.
For fabric, upholstery, sewing supplies, quilting classes, and more, visit Out of My Mindesigns at 411 Hot Springs Rd. #2, or find them online at outofmymindesigns.com
