With three such enterprises running successfully in the region, there is little doubt tattooing has become one of the fastest growing industries in C.B.N.
The artists at White Scorpion Tattoos in Carbonear can attest to this. They’ve seen such an uptick in business they’ve started closing their appointment books for three months at a time.
This helps them get customers through the door and in the seat a lot quicker.
To some it may seem like a sudden phenomenon, but to owner Chuck White, the tattoo business has been climbing for the past half- dozen years. He has been in business for six-and-a-half years.
“For the first two weeks, I think it was slow,” he said. “Since then, it’s been climbing and climbing. Things have just been booking up and booking up.”
Before becoming a member of the White Scorpion staff, Ryan Coombs owned and operated the Ink Well shop in Bay Roberts. When he opened just over three years ago, he was seeing the same thing.
People in Conception Bay North just seem to want to get tattooed.
“The game has just kicked up because you have so many better artists,” said Coombs. “I think that is what brings more clientele to it is the ability to pull off good portraits. … If you find the right artists, you can get anything done.”
In addition to White Scorpion, C.B.N. has Von Stytch Studios in Carbonear and the newly opened Baccalieu Tattoos and Blue Anchor Tattoos in Bay Roberts.
TV connection
White credits television as having something to do with the explosion in the 2000s. Reality-based shows like “Miami Ink,” “L.A. Ink” and “NY Ink” started it, and eventually gave way to similar programs like “Ink Master” and “Tattoo Nightmares.” They made stars out of artists like Kat Von D and Chris Núñez.
These shows also exposed the mainstream to body art, along with its inherent intricacies and the beauty of a well-done tattoo. It became more than branding yourself with a tribal band or a heart with “Mom” running through it.
“I got into tattooing as it was taking off … and those shows really helped it to grow,” said White.
Getting it done right
The tattoo scene in this region was a different place before shops started opening locally. The bigger parlours were located in large centres like St. John’s.
If you wanted a tattoo done in these parts and couldn’t get to the capital city, “scratchers” were your option. Scratchers refers to untrained artists tattooing out of their home.
“There weren’t any professional shops around,” said White. He started training as an artist on grapefruits and oranges before moving to actual people.
“You never know when you’re ready to start on people,” said Coombs.
Word of mouth
More than anything, the tattoo business is built on old-fashioned word of mouth. Artists build their reputations on the work that they do.
As their reps grow, so do their customer base. All it takes is for one person to get a great tattoo from an inker and for someone else to see it.
“When I worked in Alberta, our shop was in a town between the big cities,” said artist Erik Sigurdson. “A lot of it would be a group of friends would come in and get tattooed. They’d go home and then the next week they’d bring more of their friends.”
With that in mind, White Scorpion does a lot of its booking through email and social media, most notably Facebook, which is increasingly becoming a modern-day version of the chain letter. One post about a tattoo could instantly lead to three additional bookings. It helped White Scorpion abolish its website.
Above all, the group at White Scorpion believes in making sure their customers get the best tattoos they can — even if it means sending them to an artist they trust at a different shop.
“I don’t mind sending anyone to a good tattoo artist,” said White.
According to Buzzfeed.com, here are 10 things to consider before going for a tattoo:
• Start small
• Know your pain tolerance
• Consider timing
• Don’t be cheap
• Research your artist
• Choose wisely
• Keep your face out of it
• Sleep on it
• Commit and
• Buy Bepanthen+, a type of skin care cream, in advance.
The artists at White Scorpion also recommend being mindful of your personal hygiene — wear clean clothes and take a shower before turning up at a tattoo studio.
