Native Rituals: Not Your Father's Tattoo Parlor

Twenty years ago, tattoos were considered pretty well-restricted to bikers, members of the military, and gang members. There were exceptions, of course, but tattoos did not seem prevalent in mainstream culture. In 2011, that has all changed.

Tattoo artists have come out of the shadows, and moved into the suburbs. One such artist is Jimmy V., the owner of , located in Oak Forest. Jimmy and his business partner, piercer Johnny Velez opened their shop eight years ago, and the locals are keeping them busy.

Both men began their careers in Chicago 16 years ago.  They bounced from shop to shop looking for the right situation, all the while feeling their industry was too thuggish.

"I felt like I was recycling the same style, the same imagery, over and over," said Jimmy V.

As attitudes toward tattoos started to change, and became more fashionable, people started seeing the artistic potential of the craft.

"We're not pirates anymore," Jimmy V said.  "Most of us have art school backgrounds, and people are allowing us to be artists."

Artistic styles have also expanded. 

"We used to be limited to five colors, Americana style," he said.  "Now there are all kinds of styles: tribal, comic book, hatch mark, pointalism. The art has really evolved."

Moving out to the suburbs has opened up a new world to Jimmy and his artists. 

"We made the choice to come out here because we saw it as an open market," he said.

They soon discovered their suburban customers were much more interested in the creative potential of the craft.  "The people out here are much more open-minded, much more artistic. People usually come in with reference material, and we work with it."

In addition to Jimmy V, the shop has four tatoo artists: Chris Cendejas, Dahveed, Paul Nemshawsky, and Rick Serna. They all have their own style, and they're not afraid to pass a customer along if they think one of their co-workers has a style that would better fit what the customer is looking for.

In addition to Velez, the shop has a second piercer, Angie DeLeon.  Both are certified with the Association of Professional Piercers. There are ony four other piercers in Illinois who share this certification.

It's a hard-working bunch, operating seven days a week.  "We all strive to be the best at what we do," said Jimmy V.

Working for other shops taught the partners how they wanted to handle being bosses.  "We treat our workers the way we always wanted to be treated," he said.  "It helps that we're both putting in lots of hours. We're not just playing boss man."

Everything about the place suggests a first-class operation. The jewelry they sell for piercing is first-rate. They use only the best instruments they can find, and they are meticulous about cleaning and sterilization. The state requires they perform spore testing once per month, and they perform it weekly.

"We work hard to stand out amongst the crowd," says Jimmy V.

PLEASE VISIT the Native Rituals listing in the Patch Places directory for more information.