Pornography... In and around a tattoo shop, what's your take on this?

[fuckhead]

I would consider Chicago Tattoo a shop that still operates on "old school" principles for the most part but still caters to the masses and doesn't take any bull shit.

They have other ways of bouncing dipshits out the door...I was in and out of there within an hour (got a small piece) and the number of stupid people with stupid requests or questions in that amount of time was pretty astounding.

[David Flores]

They have other ways of bouncing dipshits out the door...I was in and out of there within an hour (got a small piece) and the number of stupid people with stupid requests or questions in that amount of time was pretty astounding.

I have had one substantial conversation in my life with Nick and we talked a little bit about that kind of stuff, it was really cool to hear his take on the subject. Who did your piece?

[Our Endless Days]

Gots to disagree on that, but hey-a lack of uniformity is a good thing.

Loud music, cussing, locker-room convo in general, all of that is different from real-live hardcore porn. Again, I'm not talking Playboy, all of that genre, but Hustler type stuff.

To me it's pretty simple.

Tattooing, as a whole, has moved out of the shadows and arcades of the world and into the supposedly "legit" business world. If you run an "underground" shop, one that caters to those who by choice are outside of societal norms, i.e.; hardcore scooter tramps, tattoo aficionados, and others who are part of one "scene" or another, then you can put out anything you want and you probably won't lose too many customers.

All depends on what your definition of "too many" is! If you want to have a guy walk out who is willing to spend thousands on some serious coverage, well, I wish I had your money!

IF you run a shop that is "professional", and caters to a diverse crowd, then it's probably better for you to have a professional atmosphere, at least in your waiting area. This is where people come in and form an impression of your shop, of you, and of your work. This is where they whup out that long green and hand it to the person at the counter. Not the place for crotch-shots and fuck-you's.

Here's the thing. I'm what many describe as a "biker", am fairly heavily tattooed, engage in all sorts of behaviors that others may view as a bit sketchy, and I've even been know to look at porn now and then. All that said, I run a business, and when I'm working at my business, even if my tattoing is visible, which it usually is, I don't use profanity, and no way in hell would I ever allow a porno mag to come out of the shop area and into the offices.

It's all what you want. You want a big, fancy, wide-open shop, then you had best to be at least a tad professional about it. You want a more underground vibe, then hey, do what you will!

As a last note, I guess I never realized I'm an "uptight pain in the ass", thanks for setting me straight on that.

like you said, i think it depends on the shop and what kinds of people they want coming through the door. there are shops and tattooers that i know i want to get tattooed by, and i couldn't care less if they shot porn in the shop. but, that's because i know what i want and where/whom i'd like to get tattooed by. as you mentioned, if a shop is looking to bring in regular folks off the street that may not really know what to look for or all that much about tattoos, it would probably be a good idea to not have that sort of stuff out. sucks that people have to get bent outta shape about something as stupid as fucking porn. not you guys, just people in general.

[David Flores]

like you said, i think it depends on the shop and what kinds of people they want coming through the door. there are shops and tattooers that i know i want to get tattooed by, and i couldn't care less if they shot porn in the shop. but, that's because i know what i want and where/whom i'd like to get tattooed by. as you mentioned, if a shop is looking to bring in regular folks off the street that may not really know what to look for or all that much about tattoos, it would probably be a good idea to not have that sort of stuff out. sucks that people have to get bent outta shape about something as stupid as fucking porn. not you guys, just people in general.

My goal is to find a tattoo shop where they are shooting porn in the lobby now.

[Our Endless Days]

My goal is to find a tattoo shop where they are shooting porn in the lobby now.

[Dan S]

Not out of context in the slightest? I guess I just think you can cater to a lot of types of customers and still be the quintessential street shop. People come back because they get a good tattoo and they don't have to deal with other shops that think they are better than their customers. They might be willing to deal with loud music and a grumpy shop owner who is actually excited to tattoo them, even if it's a tribal arm band instead of being blown off by the gallery shop serving espresso down the street. Porn was the subject of this thread and while I still wouldn't put it in my shop, I can understand on any given day how a hustler or some other hardcore magazine might show up in the lobby. But for me this thread has evolved into a discussion on how people should run their shop. I would consider Chicago Tattoo a shop that still operates on "old school" principles for the most part but still caters to the masses and doesn't take any bull shit.

Major out of context, for sure...just a small yank of the chain there!

I wouldn't go to a "boutique" shop, my only point is that maybe you want to go one step up from the arcade shop. Again, a lot of it is in the definition of "porn". I'm talking hardcore here, I don't think Maxim or Playboy are on anyone's radar, and I don't think one mag stuffed in a pile is a big deal. If I see that the SHOP is subscribed to, for instance, Hustler, yeah, I might have second thoughts. But again, as I said elsewhere, if I saw a bible in a shop I'd have second thoughts!

I agreee about CTC completely. They are a stone old-skool shop, they get all kinds of people in there all day and all night. Loud music, rough talk, but I've never seen any skin books laying around, not in any of their locations.

Guess it's all a matter of degree. I would never presume to tell someone how to run their bidness, I am only pointing out that to be seen as a professional outside of your own trade, you may have to make a few adjustments.

[fuckhead]

I have had one substantial conversation in my life with Nick and we talked a little bit about that kind of stuff, it was really cool to hear his take on the subject. Who did your piece?

Josh Howard, it was just a little piece of Jerry flash. In that amount of time someone tried to bring their dog into the shop, some dude came by and got in an argument with Beatdown about a tattoo, another person complained about the cost of jewelry, a throng of (probably underage) girls walked in and turned around and walked out, probably some other shit I'm forgetting. Sundays are my favorite days to get tattooed at street shops (because they're always dead and I can get right in!) but got damn, shit was cray.

[Jake]

My goal is to find a tattoo shop where they are shooting porn in the lobby now.

I'm not naming names, but you'd be surprised....

[Dan S]

Josh Howard, it was just a little piece of Jerry flash. In that amount of time someone tried to bring their dog into the shop, some dude came by and got in an argument with Beatdown about a tattoo, another person complained about the cost of jewelry, a throng of (probably underage) girls walked in and turned around and walked out, probably some other shit I'm forgetting. Sundays are my favorite days to get tattooed at street shops (because they're always dead and I can get right in!) but got damn, shit was cray.

Must have been a slow night...go in there on a late Saturday when there's a fresh batch graduating from Great Mistakes, then you'll REALLY see it jumping!

And believe me, they can handle any action that walks through the door. As noted elsewhere, that 'hood was stone ghetto not too very long ago, and once upon a time, there was a firearm very much in evidence when a stranger walked into the shop.

Gotta love that place.

[JAllen]

is it offensive if the pics in the national geographic look like this?