Tim holtz the ink road (Lara) drama

Gets asked questions about using his platform to educate on important social matters, hits back with foul language, threats of having a small business pulled from a big retailer (Ink Road Stamps has since lost their spot at Simon Says Stamp so it looks like Tim + Mario weren't bluffing), threats of blacklisting customers so their orders won't be filled by affiliate retailers, deletes and blocks from FB groups/IG, posts performative stuff on social media as though nothing's happened and nothing's wrong. Wow, big time wow.

Lara's video with some receipts at the end is here:



ETA: Woops, posted at the same time as Skellinton ! Mind you, video deserves being posted twice considering the seriousness of the situation. 

Don't. Twice is good! This is some serious shit. 

Receipts from the video for those unable to watch or visually impaired: 

1. OG message | "I am writing to you regarding your refusal to acknowledge the black craft community. You have a platform from which you could educate people and give much needed support to the Black Lives Matter Movement! Instead you continued to host your weekly facebook lives in order to sell your product to a locked down captive audience. You were called out by Lara from [redacted] over your back tracking and silence and you got together with members the good old girls club and had her stamps pulled from [redacted]. Not only are you a racist, you are a bully too!!! I will no longer be supporting your products and I am calling out Ranger Ink, Stampers Anonymous and Sizzix to drop you as a Designer." 
Tim's reply | "bitter party of 1... your table's ready."

2. Stand-alone email sent by Mario to someone calling Tim out (email subject: TROLL) | "Stay away from Tim and Zoe, you pathetic troll! We will find and block you from our page and the Addicts group and good luck with getting your orders filled from our affiliate retailers! We can call our contacts and you would not work again!! STAY AWAY FROM TIM AND ZOE YOU DUMB FUCK!!!"

What companies are most closely related to Tim Holtz? (in case someone felt compelled to write to them expressing their disgust with Tim and Mario's actions)

I have liked The Ink Road for about a year now. She is one of my 3 go to stamp places and I admire her creativity and her stand. I haven't needed new stamps in awhile but I just might today!
Are there other ink pad options to take Rangers place in my stash when i need more ink?

Woah, I wasn't prepared for this, at all. The vitriol, contempt, and disrespect is very different from the image he has been projecting for as long as I've known of him. Ugh, I guess everyone's true colors are really coming out during these interesting times.

Mario is kind of his right hand man (insert Hamilton music here), I think most people think he is Tim’s partner, but I don’t think Tim identifies as gay, does he?  I know there were rumors as long as he has been around, but I don’t remember him ever coming out.  

I'd address this with Ali. She is close to them and often includes their products when doing mixed. Ali has made it known she stands with BLM. Lets see if she will still support them with its her friends who are being offensive. 

Stampers Anonymous is the manufacturer of TH stamps/stencils. He’s the designer. SA does not hire HIM.

1. If that truly was Mario’s email, then WOW TO THE WOWZA. So many levels if wrong.

2. I did not see the art or comments related, however please remember that the FB page is theirs, they set the rules and can delete any content they choose—and it’s not the first time I’ve seen a brand or YouTube or IG not address the racial issues because they want to keep their places an escape from all the “noise” (and I don’t mean that disrespectfully—all this news, covid, current events is just too much for some people.)

3. Demanding a brand to speak out/up on any issue is pretty risky—what if they don’t agree?

4. If the reason Kara was dropped from SSS is because TH made a call, then wow and not cool. I haven’t patronized SSS for some time/very rarely because their communication rubbed me the wrong way on an order a few years ago.

Tonic also works closely with him - they have a line of Tim Holtz tools. This is completely unacceptable.

I'm not sure Lara's last name. Her computer is Ink Road Stamps.

She also mentioned in comments I think her products were selling well at SSS. So they weren't pulled because of sales in the last week.

Well peas, I posted on Tim and Mario's instagram accounts. By the time I went to Zoe's instagram account, I was not allowed to post. All three blocked me.

There have always been people who have told me that he is not as kind as he portrays himself to be. I’ve never seen it ( before ) personally and no details were given or made public, so I just minded my own business.
THIS however is public and documented and will be hard to live down without a full explanation & apology.

It’s NOT a matter of keeping the space apolitical if your bullying people over it. Threatening that people will never get work because you will black ball them is bullying & totally unacceptable.

I already do not do business with sizzix but I’ll going to write to Ranger ink for an explanation and to complain.

I like rangers ink and I have no issue ( yet ) supporting them as they are a local company but I won’t buy anything they do with Tim. ( good thing I like other inks )