Today, he is the youngest member of the Bedford County Chamber of Commerce and has appeared on the “Kelly Clarkson Show” via Skype.

He’s had a hand in making more than 600 tie-dye items, including T-shirts, hoodies, scrubs, pet shirts and bandanas.

The idea to start a business came in January 2022, when Tuukka was watching YouTube videos.

“I was like ‘Mom, can we start a business of tie-dye?’ and she said, ‘yes,'” Tuukka said during a recent interview.

Courtesy photo Tuukka Saari of Everett places dye on one of his creations for his tie-dye business. He started the venture in January and has helped raise money for several organizations.

He received a few tie-dye kits for his birthday and ended up making shirts for some family and friends.

“Then people saw those shirts and asked where they could get one,” Tiffany said.

The business seemed to develop naturally from there, with Tuukka jumping on the chance to make some money selling his one-of-a-kind works of art.

When asked what he wanted to do with the money, he decided on giving half to charity and putting the other half into savings for a brand new set of wheels.

It’s his can-do spirit and efforts to help others that has the community rallying around him, his mom said.

“It has been a really great reaction from the community,” Tiffany said. “The support has been outstanding.”

Tuukka gets an idea of what group he wants to help and will ask his mom for assistance.

“He will come to me every once in a while and say he wants to help this group of people. … I look into it and figure out where to go from there,” she said.

So far he has worked with Your Safe Haven, Special Olympics and Last Line.

Ryan Decker of Last Line said Tuukka came to him and said he wanted to raise money for veterans.

Decker, who operates the nonprofit that builds tiny homes on a 250-acre farm in Everett to benefit veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety struggles, said the world is lucky to have a young man like Tuukka, who is a great asset to the community.

“It was a good time to just be around Tuukka,” Decker said. “He was so happy, and it was great to work with him.”

For his Last Line collaborative project, Tuukka created shirts with a red, white and blue design.

“People loved it — a good amount of people bought shirts, and he raised a lot of money for veterans,” Decker said.

The tie-dye business also raised funds for the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Bedford, which started a new children’s wing that Tuukka wanted to help for other young artists, and the Everett Elementary School.

A family affair

To make each tie-dye item, the process starts by putting the fabric to be dyed into soda ash for 20 minutes. This helps the fibers absorb the dye.

After the items are dyed, they are placed in bags to sit for a day, allowing the dye to be fully absorbed into the fibers.

Lastly, the items are washed, dried and packaged.

“If we think we are going to do it wrong, we just watch a video,” Tuukka explained.

Tiffany said the entire family has offered to help, with Tuukka’s grandfather, Tom, helping out with pre-soaking the shirts, folding and the more intricate parts of the tie-dying process.

As for Tuukka, his favorite part of the process is dying the fabric and his favorite color to use is dark green.

Tuukka said he feels good when people like the stuff he creates.

He gave a shirt to one of his teachers and “she was very happy and wore it the next day,” he said.

Tuukka’s shirts and other items have been sent as far as Hawaii and California, Tiffany said, thanks in part to his website, tiedyebytuukka.com, and his Facebook page where people can see what’s new, what’s available and read about Tuukka.

Tiffany, who thought the T-shirts would only be shared among family and friends, said she is surprised at how far Tuukka has taken the business and his dedication to making it work.

“He loves it,” she said. “We will keep going as long as he wants it.”

To get the tooth design, as well as peace signs, shamrocks and others, they had to learn about different folding techniques, Tiffany said.

“The folding techniques have really come a long way because we started out really basic with what we could do,” she said.

Tuukka has also learned a lot about colors and how two colors mix to create a third.

Trial and error is a perk of the business, Tiffany said.

“He gets to practice all these different techniques and we get shirts out of the deal,” she said.

Kellie Goodman Shaffer, CEO of the Bedford County Chamber of Commerce, said Tuukka is the first honorary member of the chamber after a new program was created to encourage and support youth.

“As a member, he has access to all of the chamber’s resources and can take advantage of networking, advertising, marketing and exposure that comes with the perks of being involved,” Shaffer said.

“We are grateful for all the help and opportunities they have provided such as allowing him to put up a sign at the Christmas lights at the fairground,” Tiffany said.

Shaffer said she is thrilled for Tuukka’s business success.

“He is really a great example of young entrepreneurship,” Goodman-Schaffer said.

As for that Lamborghini Tuukka has his eyes on? So far he’s saved $1,700 toward the $20,000 vehicle.

Mirror staff writer Cati Keith can be reached at 814-381-5204.