Deb Yarian

I'm so pleased to have raised a happy son!

I love you.

Good man, Erik!!

I'm really looking forward to it Shane, as I am right there with him about Paul!

Good job all! Thank you!

That must be unsettling and I can imagine how difficult it must be.

Sorry

Hope your grandmother has a quick recovery

Deb

Yes there are.

Yes there are

Sorry to hear about your trouble but glad to hear that you are reopening.

When we opened , just a little over 2 years ago--- we had an open house and put an invitation on line and in our small town paper.

We gave out prizes/ gift certificates each hour through a drawing---mostly $100-- one $250-.

Our old customers were excited and we got a lot of new customers.

People just enjoyed coming in to a shop and being greeted warmly --- they liked the festive atmosphere and free food.

In order

Joe Bagodonuts

Eric Inksmith

Ms Deborah aka Sofia Estrella

Gill Montie

Tiger Jack

Falcon

Guy Aitchison

Bill Loika

Don Yarian ( can't forget my husband) (multiple times)

Rocket Rick

Chris Pavelchik

Mike Wilson

Hanky Panky

Dave Gibson

Ken Cameron

Trevor McStay (multiple times)

Jill Mandelbaum

32 years---Very short list!

*The Tattoo Shop (ha ha! it was so long ago and such a crap shop I don't even remember if it had a real name) -New Paltz, NY

*Fat Matthew's World Famous Emporium of Tattoo -Wayne, NJ

*Tattoo Tony's - Daytona Bch, Fl

*Gill Montie's Daytona Bch Underground - Daytona Bch, Fl

*Southern Fried Tattoo - Ormond Beach, Fl

*Inksmith and Roger's - Jax Bch, Fl

*Fast Freddie's - Columbus, Ga

*Fine Line ( Bill Loika's ) Deep River, Ct

*Rocket Rick's - Columbus, Ga

*Dancing Dragon - Oak Grove, Ky

*Mike Laport's?? - Leesville, La

*Larry Allen's Anchorage Tattoo Studio - Anchorage, Alaska

*Eagle River Tattoo - Eagle River , Alaska

*

Don bought Bill's spring punch and an Owen Jensen machine --- which I think he later sold to Mike

Thanks Shane!

I'd say, for better or worse--- it's gone pretty mainstream.

I'm sure Eric neglected to mention what crazy pay day weekends he'd have---Fast Freddie, Eric, Louie----Victory Drive

I was working in Daytona when I met Freddie at the 80 something convention in Mission Bay- and he offered me a job.

I was from Brooklyn, with little experience in the south - on a middle of the night Greyhound bus trip to Columbus, Georgia.

I had only met Freddie at the convention--- if I had to describe him I'd say he was a combination between Rodney Dangerfield and Philadelphia Eddie.

So, I arrived at the shop in the middle of the night and slept on the couch in Freddie's apartment behind the shop and started working the following day.

My first day there, there were 54 people on a waiting list and just 3 of us to tattoo them all!

Before we left Columbus,Ga - A friend of our's who had learnEd from Bill, brought us out to Bill's - cause he had some things for sale.

I remember driving out to this little shack in the woods in Alabama

I was a little nervous considering his reputation---

I just remember a dark shack with partially dirt floors -- and a giant snake cage.

Don got a couple of cool things.

Unfortunately, shootings did not end at Sailor Bill's door,

They occurred at Freddies too.

I just remembered that I tattooed Bill's daughter at freddie's shop

Most of what I heard about bill was from other tattooers.

One dear friend who never said an unkind word about anyone else said " Sailor Bill was a pock or pox on tattooing!"

I believe it is public record that he shot a woman in the face and paid close to a million dollars to stay out of jail.

I worked at Fast Freddies for at least a couple of years with Bill still up the street.

Freddie used to tell a story of when Bill was working the carnival with his wife (Edie) he would bury her up to her neck in the sand and then surround

her with a huge spider body--- she was human/ spider girl.

One night he went and got drunk with his earnings and forgot Edie in the ground during a rain storm! Well she nearly drowned and when he got back to her she had ice-cream wrappers stuck to the side of her face.

Most of the war between Freddie and bill had become carny superstitiion-throwing peanut shells in front of a tattoo shop door ensures little$

Muskrat or raccoon urine in the air vent

Crazy days!

There are lots of tattooers out there that I think do amazing work.Unfortunately, after meeting some of them-- I as a customer wouldn't consider wearing their work.

The ability to do really good work and not make a person feel like an idiot paying for it-- that's a start.

My mentor was the epitome of humility, generosity of time and knowledge were his strengths.

Always remember where you came from.