Danbury Tattoo & Piercing Inks Body Art Business Success Story

DANBURY, CT — The dog days of summer are Christmastime for tattoo shops.

"Everyone is walking around in their tank tops and shorts so they want to get their tattoos," explained Eric Tymula, the majority owner of Danbury Tattoo & Piercing on 68 Mill Plain Road. He says his shop is bustling ten months out of the year, with the relatively slower time being the back-to-school and Halloween months of September and October.

Eric Tymula

And it is all relative, because, as Tymula tells the story, business has never really been slow at Danbury Tattoo. After a few months gaining traction once the shop opened its doors on Germantown Road in 2012, customers found themselves waiting to be inked outside in the parking lot because there was not enough room for them inside the cozy shop. The moved from 650 square feet to their current 1,600 square foot location in 2014, and grew their staff from three to nine.

Danbury Tattoo is riding the crest of an inky wave fueling the growth of an estimated 21,000 body art studios nationwide. Once the strict purview of sailors and scary religious cults, tattoos are now millennial mainstream, and a $1.5 billion business, according to industry website Tattoo School. One of three 25-29 year-olds sports at least one tattoo, and —sorry, Popeye — fully half of the Inked Nation are women.

A less giddy statistic is the growth of the tattoo removal industry. As of 2016-17, 11 percent of Americans with tattoos have either had one removed or were planning on it, and 70 percent of the disenchanted were women. (Pro tip: Do not get a tattoo of your boyfriend's name.)

Looking to join The Tribe? Tymula recommends that tattoo n00bs begin their body art escapades with either a "traditional" or "neo-traditional" tattoo. The hallmark of both is bold, black outlines, simple color schemes, and very easy and simple designs. "Nothing where the person viewing the tattoo would have to decipher something," the artist explained.

Not only are those tattoos typically less expensive, but they're classic designs. "They looked good in the 50s, they look good now, and they'll look good fifty years from now," Tymula said.

When you are ready to bump up your game from Betty Boop to the Book of Revelation, options abound. Eerily-realistic black and gray renderings are the specialty of Danbury Tattoo's Jasmine Fay. More and more patrons are demanding "stippling," which Tymula describes as tatting with dots, "lots and lots and lots of teeny-tiny dots that create a scale of shading." The shop can also connect you with one of a growing cadre of classically-trained fine artists who are now taking tattooing gigs. Hey, you've got to eat...

"We definitely have more tattoo artists in the industry than we ever had before," Tymula said. "But in my opinion, it's still just as difficult to find a quality one as it was 20 years ago."

We were surprised to learn that the most important quality Tymula looks for in artist had nothing to do with skills or aesthetics. If you want to sling ink at Danbury Tattoo, you'll need to fit in with the team, first and foremost.

"We have a family. Everybody here has known each other for 10-12 years, and we've added some along the way, and it's really hard to add someone who doesn't fit in. And you have to be willing to grow, and be humble. We've worked with several artists in the past that are... not... very humble people" Tymula said, choosing his words carefully. "Unfortunately, in this industry you will find a lot of people who are very arrogant."

So what will all this art, tradition, family, humility and trend-setting set you back? The minimum job is $80. From there the rate will vary with the artist, from $100 to $15o an hour. It also depends upon how frequent a customer you are: expect to get a break if you find yourself spending a lot of time in the chair.

The shop welcomes walk-ins, but Tymula says if you have a particular design or even style in mind (and you really should), a reservation is recommended so that you can be matched to an appropriate artist. A couple of the shop's more popular and versatile artists are booked two months in advance.

"Usually we can get you in within two weeks if you are flexible with us," Tymula said. "If you are really specific on a particular day of the week or artist, it may be a month or two."

Be assured that whatever kind of customer you end up being, you won't be typical, because Danbury Tattoo doesn't have any of those. One regular client is a professional designer himself, and draws each of his tattoos in advance, and in excruciating detail. Another is using his body as a canvas to tell a slowly unfolding story, each new tattoo serving as the next chapter.

But Tymula's favorite clients by far are the rare ones he describes as "pure art collectors," who allow him to ink whatever he thinks is best, and suits his own mood. "Having that ultimate freedom to just go nuts and create something that's fun, and represents your own art — that's the best."

Danbury Tattoo & Piercing is open Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays by appointment.