You might not believe it, but Concord (including Penacook) has a whopping six tattoo shops. That’s approaching Dunkin’ Donuts territory in terms of volume.
Since there are so many to choose from, we decided to get the low-down on each spot and find out all the important details for you. You can use this as your guide when you’re thinking about where to get your next neck piece or half-sleeve.
Arrows & Embers Tattoo
7 Pleasant St. Ext., 988-6067, facebook.com/ArrowsAndEmbersTattoo
Arrow & Embers is a custom tattoo shop with two artists, including owner Sean Ambrose, and two chairs, but if you’re looking to walk in the door and sit down for some new ink that’s not really how it works here. You are certainly welcome to walk in and talk with manager Jennifer Mowry about what you’re looking to add and where it’s going on your body, but the next step is to set up a consultation. Before any tattoos are done at Arrows & Embers, the artists like to meet with a client, talk about what they’re looking for and draw a couple sketches. Then you set up a time frame for the work to be done.
“It’s a much more personal process when you sit down with an artist face to face,” Mowry said.
They get a lot of intricate and involved pieces so many are done over multiple sessions.
“It depends on what you’re looking for,” Mowry said. “For big pieces we’ll do a design review.”
And tattoos are the only thing done at this shop.
Arrows & Embers is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Buzz Ink Tattoo and Barber Shop
85 Manchester St. #2, 715-1808, buzzinkshop.com
Buzz Ink has three full-time artists and two artists that come in as guests every once in a while. There are also a few apprentices.
There are three seats, so three people can get ink at once. Pricing is based on the size and the detail of the tattoo, with a shop minimum of $60. And every once in a while they’ll use a rate of $100 an hour if a project is going to be ongoing.
There’s also a barber shop inside, making it the only barber/tattoo shop in Concord and we haven’t heard of many others around the state. The barber shop opens at 8 a.m., and the tattoo side opens at noon. The barber side is closed Sundays and the tattoo side is closed Mondays. Tattoos on Sundays are by appointment only.
“We try to be very diversified in what we can do,” said tattoo manager Kristine Case. “But Russ (Collins) and myself are into colorful, cartoony-style things. We don’t really have anybody who does portraits, we usually refer people to other shops for portraits.”
Gothic Tattoo and Body Piercing
239 Loudon Road, 226-1214, gothictattoo.com
Gothic Tattoo is owned and operated by the husband and wife tattoo artist team of Paul and Brenda Florin. The Florins and Melody Ribecca are the shop’s three tattoo artists.
The shop also offers piercings, done by Paul Florin and Ribecca.
They’re open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day except Tuesday and Wednesday.
“People can walk in, but if they have an appointment we’re waiting for them,” Paul Florin said. Piercing is strictly on a walk-in basis.
Gothic Tattoo doesn’t accept credit cards, but there is an ATM on site.
Piercings include jewelry and aftercare, and pricing varies from $40 to $70. There is a minimum of $50 for tattoos. “If people want large pieces, then we put them on the large hourly rate,” Florin said. “We have both – by the piece or hourly. On by the piece it’s a minimum of $50, hourly is $100 an hour, but those aren’t as common here.”
The three artists also have three different styles. “I’m more old school,” Florin said. “Brenda’s more fine-line detail. Melody is more fine line too, and traditional.”
Capital City Tattoo and Supply
8 N. Main St., 224-2600, capcitytat.wix.com/capcitytat
Capital City Tattoo offers custom tattoo work as well as body piercing. The artists are: Scott Flanders (owner), James Scott, Miss Kait, Tom Pelletier, James Faggiano, David Chea, Ryan Thomas and apprentice Rachel Snell.
The hours are a bit unconventional: Sunday and Monday: by appointment only. Tuesday and Wednesday: noon to 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. “We do tend to stay open later, depending on the work involved,” Miss Kait said.
As far as pricing goes, there’s a shop minimum of $60, however each artist is responsible for their own pricing, whether hourly or by piece. The average hourly rate is about $100, although some artists ask a little more. Snell, the apprentice, is currently learning, so her tats are at a little bit of a discount.
Miss Kait is the only piercer, so she does book piercings in advance. The average for most piercings is $40, including the price of jewelry. Miss Kait also does dermals for $50 a piece. She offers discounts for any group settings, so if you get multiple piercings at once, it’s $10 off each one after the first piercing, and that does include dermals. “The only restriction is I do not do male” body parts, if you catch the drift, Miss Kait said. It’s “not an area of my expertise, but I do recommend others for those things.”
Derma Designs Tattoos
108 Fisherville Road, 225-8282, facebook.com/Derma-Designs-LLC-147837187427/
Derma Designs Tattoos in Penacook is pretty much an ink-only kind of shop.
“Basically just tattoo, but we do have massage on the side,” said owner Butch Everett. “My wife does it part time.”
One thing they definitely don’t do is piercings – “too much of a liability.”
For pricing, there’s a $50 minimum. Then it’s $100 an hour, $150 an hour for cover-ups. Depending on the tattoo, the price could vary.
There are two artists right now, and an apprentice as well.
“If you come to the door, you’ll see really screwy hours on the window,” Everett said. “Right now, typically they’re from noon to 7 at night Tuesday through Saturday. We also, if we’re doing a tattoo and it runs to 8 or 9 o’clock, we keep going. We’ve been here until 2:30 in the morning sometimes.”
Appointments and walk-ins available.
Bona Fide Tattoo
10 N. State St., 540-4993, tatbro.com
This place is tattoos only – no piercings at all. There’s walk-in availability on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
