Witch City Ink opens
Written by Glen Hughes on July 8th, 2008 3 Comments
Thanks to fellow TheSalemInsider.com contributor Forrest Frazier for the great photos supplied for this article.
Recently I was asked to come and cover the ribbon cutting ceremony with the Mayor, Chamber of Commerce and some business owners over at one of Salem’s newest and most unique shops in the down town area, Witch City Ink.
Jennifer Bell(l) Witch City Ink Staff with Mayor Kimberly Driscol and Renus Oosthoek(r)
Your first reaction might be – Why? Why is there a tattoo shop in down town and why would there be a ribbon cutting ceremony there? Why does this shop interest the mayor and the chamber of commerce and why does this new retail space draw other business owners?
First of all take every old stereotype of a seedy tattoo parlor filled with bikers and sailors and toss it out the window. If you keep up with current trends on TV (TLC or Discovery Channel) you know that there is a new era of tattoo, piercings and body modification being ushered in by young artists turned business people with a focus on quality, respectable work. Witch City Ink is one of this new breed of tattoo studios raising the bar for their field.
Situated in the Pedestrian Mall on Essex Street (with an additional entrance from the Museum Place Mall) across from Pamplemousse, , this new business features Italian marble floors, Tibetan red walls, and a selection of antiques collected by shop proprietor Natan on his various world trips. It is obvious that much care was spent transforming this old retail space to a new high end shop in the same vein as Salem Wine Imports or Sacred Gear. The front retail/waiting area leads to a hallway where various artists have rooms for tattooing and piercing. The back area of the shop (where one enters from the mall) is another waiting area with racks of “flash” or pre-drawn art. These 6 foot tall 3 foot wide displays contain thousands of examples of traditional imagery which a customer could ask for or use as inspiration for a custom piece of art.
Why is this a big deal?
Unlike many of the businesses in the Museum Place Mall and allong the Pedestrian mall the hours of Witch City Ink promise not to be 9-5. This draws the interest of the Salem Chamber and other local business owners as there is a push to bring life to this area at night. The Salem Chamber “after hours” events (similar to “alive after 5″ campaigns) highlighting the fact that many businesses close up shop at 5pm. On some of the web forums that residents participate in a large concern is that shops that some locals would like to patronize are closed up by the time people get out of work. With Witch City Ink staying open later into the evening and a Rita’s Italian Ice opening up next door (many franchises have 10pm closing hours) this could be the catylist Salem needs to bring about friendlier hours in some of our down town shops.
In addition to the obvious economic implications the arrival of Witch City Ink could have to the area, its location is key in opening the eyes of those who still have negative connotations about this type of business. Derby Streets’ Purple Scorpian has been doing tattoos and body piercings for some time now and the recently opened Sacred Harp Tattoo on Boston Street prove that Salem is forward thinking in its acceptance of this art form. However neither shop is as visible to the passer-by as this Essex Street locale.
Whether you love or loathe tattoos and the people who wear them one thing is for sure, new and diverse businesses in the down town Salem area is a positive step for all local businesses. Many residents sit on the side line complaining that there are too many of one type or the other stores yet they do nothing about it. It’s refreshing to see young entrepreneurs with a new perspective opening up (or taking the reins of) shops like Hex, Fools Mansion and now this upscale tattoo shop Witch City Ink.
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here, here!
let’s keep Salem fresh…
i’ve heard people say that Salem is the new Portsmouth, NH and could eventually be the new Portland, ME.
Now that’s cool!!!
[...] Witch City Ink opens – We often do articles about shops in town and this one apparently was of particular interest to you. Maybe it was due to the PEM exhibit of Maori tattoo or because everyone wondered what was being built on Essex Street but either way it was well read. [...]
Witch City Ink is the unofficial Tattoo Parlor of the Lobster Shanty, about half of our staff has fresh ink from there – even my Mom! We recommend them all the time.