Tattoo Shop Coming To Lakewood, Could Open In April

LAKEWOOD, OH — The Cleveland Tattoo Company will open its doors this year, making it one of Lakewood's first tattoo shops. Until very recently, there was legislation that made it difficult for tattoo parlors to operate in the city.

"Prior to the code being changed, one regulation included a requirement that tattooing be performed or supervised by a medical doctor, which was a difficult regulation to meet. That is no longer part of the code," said Bryce Sylvester, Lakewood's director of planning and development.

When that was changed, it opened the door for tattoo parlors to come into the city. The first business to be approved by the Planning Commission was the Cleveland Tattoo Company, which will be co-owned by Lakewood resident Tom Karakostas.

Knowing he wanted to start a tattoo shop, and how stringent Lakewood's regulations on the businesses were, Karakostas and his partner were originally looking at other cities. Then, in January, they heard Lakewood might be softening its stance toward tattoo parlors.

Karakostas said he was "super excited" by the development. He wanted his business to be in his hometown. He met with the Planning Commission and got his business he approved. Then he worked with the city to find the right location for his business, while still meeting the city's laws on where a tattoo company could be situated.

The Cleveland Tattoo Company will be located in the middle of a three-business building at 13427 Madison. The tattoo shop will be flanked by an insurance agency and a gyro place.

The Cleveland Tattoo company will be roughly 2,000 square feet. The business will have five tattoo rooms and three piercing rooms. The company could have two to four piercers and six to 10 tattoo artists, once its fully staffed.

"Lakewood will be surprised. This will not be a stereotypical tattoo place. It will be different, more modern than what people expect," he told Patch.

The changing of some of the city's legislation on tattoo companies also opened the door for another tattoo company, Lakewood Electric Tattoo, to come to town. That business was approved last week and will be located next to Elmwood Bakery on Madison Avenue, Sylvester told Patch.

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch