Dominyece Gregory is a 32-year-old mother of two, with her own business — Tuft’n Up Studio & Social. Gregory has introduced a new form of art to the DMV area by teaching people how to tuft and create their own rugs.

Tufting is a unique art that punches yarn through fabric or canvas to create a fluffy design, but to Gregory, it is much more than that.

In May 2022, Gregory attended a friend’s birthday party in Atlanta, where she experienced the intricate process of tufting for the first time. With her infant son strapped to her chest, she found the creative exercise soothing and inspirational. Her first piece was a small avocado rug that sits in her son’s room, inspired by his first favorite food. “That’s where it all began,” she said, smiling fondly.

Nearly five months later, Gregory taught her first tufting class. What started in the back of a van in D.C. quickly grew to a full-scale business in the Hyattsville Art District. The community has been extremely welcoming and helpful in growing her business, Gregory said. She appreciates the city’s support and has started handing out deals to regulars to “pour back into [her] customers as much as they pour into [the business].”

Tuft’n Up Studio & Social is all about vibes, Gregory said, smiling while gesturing to the interior decor that she made. The studio, located on the second floor of 5112 Baltimore Avenue — right above Will’s Decorating —  features large windows with calming, natural light pouring in to illuminate the customer’s canvases, and curated playlists to set a comfortable vibe.

“It’s very calming and very community oriented,” Gregory told the Life & Times. “I just try to set the tone so everyone can just come and release and be creative … and leave whatever’s going on in society at the door.”

Bowie resident Tyrell Saint-Bill, 31, surprised his fiancée by bringing her to the studio for her birthday. They had just gotten a cat, he said, and he was inspired to make a cartoonish rug based on their new addition to the family.

Saint-Bill said the welcoming environment and Gregory’s teaching style made him feel less nervous about tufting for the first time, and more likely to return. “It was a little bit nerve-racking,” he said. “But once you get the hang of it, it’s like ‘OK, I can do this!’”

Tiffany Daffin, 50, and her younger sister, 49, took a class for a fun and unique girls day. The pair made matching pink rugs with an ivy leaf — a simple but pretty design, she said.
Daffin plans to return, closer to the holidays, to make personalized gifts for her loved ones. “It’s doing something different,” she said. “I’m like, ‘Wow, I did that!’”

Laurel resident April McGee-Ludd said she was searching for something new and exciting when she came across Tuft’n Up. She said the studio provided her a place to be creative and channel her love for bright colors.

McGee-Ludd danced around to the studio’s music while making a small purple and pink flower rug, inspired by her season-oriented first name, for her daughter’s playpen.

“It’s cool to do something different, something I didn’t know I was capable of doing,” she said. “You know, I feel good!”

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The studio is open by appointment only. Themed workshops are available for booking as they become available. For more information, visit tuftnupstudiosocial.com. 

Sanya Wason is an undergraduate journalism student at the University of Maryland.