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SinnerG Brings A Haunting Presence To the Richmond Tattoo Scene

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As they gear up for their grand opening, SinnerG Tattoos lets us know what to expect from their haunted-house-style tattoo shop.

As dark arts enthusiasts and intricate artists, local couple Sabrina Elliotte and Jorge “Gwooki” Aguirre look the part — and they’re damn good at what they do. Talented as the pair are, they’re just as friendly as they were when they started working together back in the 2000s. Now, though, they’ve got significantly more body modifications and vintage clothes — and they’re bringing real artistry to their tattoos. 

Gwooki specializes in dark, surreal, and biomechanical tattoos, which are less about the object itself and more about textures. 

“I like doing more blackwork,” said Elliotte, speaking about a form of black and grey realism that is created through use of black ink. 

SinnerG Tattoos‘s brick-and-mortar location, which will soon open at 315 W. Broad Street, is set to bring haunted house elements into the world of the tattoo shop. 

“It’s going to look like a haunted house from the way it’s designed, but it’s not actually going to be a haunted house,” said Elliotte. “It’s going to be more of a walkthrough gallery with scares set up.”

The couple has been collecting the items they plan to decorate the shop with for years, starting around a decade ago. Among other items, SinnerG will have a skull from Borneo, in addition to both a voodoo skull and a skeleton from the 1800s. 

“It’s going to look like you’re in a haunted house — it’s not going to be just a store,” said Gwooki. “It’s going to have walls that look like catacombs, and [a dark atmosphere]. It’ll be like a haunted-house gallery where we sell art, have installations, and also a work area where we tattoo.” 

They’re adding a museum-like context to the gallery, providing historical and evolutionary facts about their artifacts. 

“We’ve got a French bulldog skull,” said Gwooki, “and we’re going to have the skull of a [natural] dog next to it, so people can see how deformed their skulls are because of the way humans have bred them.” 

Having heard all of that, you might expect some supernatural aspect to be present in the shop. However, the couple are not superstitious. Not even a little bit.

“Maybe that’s why, because I’m not scared of it. It’s like, challenging it. I think that I try to get people to be less superstitious, actually,” said Gwooki.

“For me, it’s very liberating,” said Elliotte. “I don’t find it dark — to me, it’s beautiful. Other people, they see these skulls and think of death, but to me, it’s just a cycle of life. You’re celebrating life, almost, or seeing a part of history. A lot of people are into antiques, so when I see a skull from Borneo, I think, ‘Whoa, this is interesting! I want to know why these people did this.’ It makes me want to do research, versus someone seeing a skeleton and thinking, ‘I don’t want to touch that, that’s a dead person.’”

They may not believe in fate or superstition, but SinnerG’s owners have had some pretty wicked events happen to them. Gwooki got a chance to tattoo one of his personal heroes (and a Richmond legend), Dave Brockie of GWAR, before he passed away.

“That was a huge honor,” said Gwooki. Gwooki explains that GWAR’s entire presence as a band was a major formative influence, one that helped lead to his tattooing Brockie in the first place.

“I’m a big fan of GWAR. They changed my life since I was a kid, in a sense of feeling more comfortable of who I was. Seeing their costumes and seeing them perform helped me [feel comfortable being myself],” said Gwooki. “At one of their shows, I saw him walk by in the crowd, and I asked if I could take a picture with him. He said sure, and before he left I left I gave him a flier of my whole portfolio printed.”

As for the supernatural side of things, Gwooki’s thoughts have evolved over time. 

“When I was a kid — when I did believe in it — supernatural stuff did happen to me,” he said. “Then as I got older, I took psychology classes and started second-guessing it. Now, I think it was just chemicals in my brain making me believe something that wasn’t actually happening.” 

Nonetheless, spooky tales and imagery retain an undeniable hold over him.

“I’ve always liked dark stuff, since I was a kid. In cartoons, I always liked the bad guy more,” Gwooki laughed.

“I personally believe that a lot of the dark things that people see usually aren’t [dark], and the things that are supposed to be presented as ‘good’ are secretively more evil than the things presented as dark,” said Elliotte.

“It’s like any other superstition,” Gwooki said. “It works for people who believe in it, but when you don’t believe, it doesn’t work.”

SinnerG’s brick-and-mortar location isn’t open yet, but you can get in contact with them via their website, sinnergtattoos.com. Or you can call them on the phone, at (804)429-9666 — and no, the last three digits were not a coincidence.

“We just asked if, by any chance, we could get a different number ending in 666,” Elliotte said with a grin. “Somebody’s got to have it. It was funny to us, just a little touch. It’s just a number, right?” 

If you agree, SinnerG just might be the tattoo shop for you.

Photos via SinnerG Tattoos

Unicorns & Steampunk: Bryant’s Cider Crafts Their Own Path

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Ahead of their move to Shockoe Bottom, Jerry Thornton of Bryant’s Cider talks new recipes and future plans for the family-owned cidery.

“We’re the new beer,” says cidermaker Jerry Thornton, owner of Bryant’s Cider. It’s a bold statement, but it fits the vibe of their Jackson Ward tasting room. On its graffiti-covered walls, “Change the rules” is spray-painted in all caps below an image of a black cat and skull.

There may be some truth to Thornton’s words in regard to popular dietary trends. Bryant’s Cider produces small batches of uniquely-flavored hard ciders that are sugar-free, low-carb, keto-friendly, and made with whole, organic ingredients that are local whenever possible. Everything currently on tap at the Jackson Ward tasting room is also vegan and gluten-free.

PHOTO: Bryant’s Cider

With chalkboard paint atop tables that customers are encouraged to decorate, along with board games, card games, and adult coloring books, Bryant’s has a quirky (but edgy) vibe that marketing director Vanessa Gleiser maintains in their social media presence.

But days at the quaint Adams Street tasting room are numbered. Bryant’s just announced their purchase of 2114 E Main St. in Shockoe Bottom, where they’ll be relocating their Richmond tasting room to a mixed-use building that will also serve as a production facility. They hope to make the move in January 2020.

Right now, all of Bryant’s production happens in their other tasting room location, at Edgewood Farm in Nelson County, VA. The 386-acre property has been passed down through Thornton’s family since as early as 1850. His grandmother was born and raised there, and Thornton spent some time growing up there as well. After taking care of his grandmother for several years until her passing in 2014, Thornton took over the farm, because no one else in the family wanted to deal with it.

“For about four years, I didn’t know what to do with it,” says Thornton. At the time, he was working downtown at BB&T, in budgeting and forecasting analytics — “douchey stuff,” as he describes it. So while affording the farm wasn’t an issue, having the time to care for it was. Thornton is a single dad who raises his five-year-old daughter half of the time, so it wasn’t possible for him to work 80 hours a week, between the office and the farm, while also parenting a young child.

PHOTO: Bryant’s Cider

Nelson County is in an apple-dense region, so Thornton started growing cider apples at the orchard on his farm and quit the corporate-suit life to experiment with making cider. He got Bryant’s off the ground out of pocket, with not a single investor. “I still think I’m crazy,” says Thornton. As his family likes to remind him, he had a good job making good money with a guaranteed comfortable retirement, and he threw it away to make alcohol.

But he did so for honest and relatable reasons. “I’d just like to be human,” he said. “My objective isn’t to get rich. I just want to take care of my kid and my farm and not… hate life.”

Thornton went to cider school in upstate New York, but considers himself mostly self-taught. He likens cider making to cooking — you learn by experimenting, by trial and error. And what’s on tap at Bryant’s is certainly experimental: some batches on regular rotation are the chai-spiced Chaider, the cucumber- and habanero-infused Coolbanero, and the cold brew coffee-infused Red Eye.

Thornton is always playing with new flavors and testing them out in small batches. Right now, you can try the seasonably-appropriate Punkking, a pumpkin-spiced cider, and Still Swingin, which is infused with bourbon and peach. There’s an Old Fashioned-inspired batch in the works, and their next autumnal special planned is the Bryant’s Dirty Chai, a pairing of the Red Eye and the Chaider.

Their best-selling cider in retail is Bryant’s Unicorn Fuel, which has garnered somewhat of a cult following among customers. “I feel like more people know the name ‘Unicorn Fuel’ than ‘Bryant’s,’” says Thornton, which doesn’t necessarily bother him, but he cites the current location of the Richmond tasting room as to why they haven’t become a household name yet. “Jackson Ward is a great neighborhood, but no one knows we’re here,” says Thornton. “I could put a fucking unicorn suit on and stand on the corner, and maybe that would get a couple people in, but I don’t want to do that.”

PHOTO: Bryant’s Cider

The hope the move to Shockoe Bottom will expand their customer base since they’ll be in an area with higher foot traffic, right off the beaten path, and surrounded by popular bars and restaurants. “It’s an up-and-coming neighborhood, and really dense in terms of housing — just loft after loft,” says Thornton. “Whenever I’m down there, I see all these people walking their dogs and just hanging out. It’s the right type of people for us.” (Yes, both tasting rooms are dog-friendly!)

Bryant’s will also be preserving their safe distance from Scott’s Addition, where the only other craft cideries in the River City are located: Blue Bee, Buskey, and Courthouse Creek. Generally, the crowds in Shockoe, Church Hill and the East End don’t want to travel all the way to Scott’s Addition for a hard cider, so Bryant’s is hoping to corner that market geographically.

They considered moving to The Fan, but the historic quality of the building in Shockoe Bottom helped seal the deal. Built in the 1850s, Bryant’s liked that it’s about the same age as Edgewood Farm. “It’s super old and super cool. It fits our vibe,” says Thornton. “I didn’t want some generic, super-modern place because that’s boring.”

Thornton wants to do a steampunk theme at the new tasting room, which should gel nicely with the vibe of Shockoe Bottom, with the Canal Walk and Great Shiplock Park just a block or so away. He’s nervous about the move, but excited that he was able to buy instead of rent, because he has complete creative freedom in how to use the space. “There’s no landlord. If I want to break things, I can break things,” says Thornton. “Which I do, frequently.” He already has an idea for a light fixture: he wants to build a spider web chandelier across the entire ceiling using iron piping and Edison bulbs.

PHOTO: Bryant’s Cider

Byrant’s long-term goal is to split production between the farm and Shockoe Bottom. First, they’ll work to get more distribution and build the brand so Thornton can operate on a regular production schedule. Currently, Bryant’s has 85 active accounts in the Richmond area. “It’s getting there,” says Thornton. “We’re on rotation at a lot of places, but it takes time to build up.”

While Bryant’s is a young, independent business, they’re also an intimately small one. Thornton makes all of the cider himself and works on sales when he can. The only other full-time employees are the respective managers of the two tasting rooms, Afton Massie at the farm and Vanessa Gleiser in Richmond (who also directs marketing operations).

If you’re curious about where you can buy Bryant’s, they update their retail locations weekly. But what they really want is for you to visit the tasting room, and try some ciders that you wouldn’t normally order from a bar or buy in a six pack.

“We do weird stuff,” says Thornton. “You gotta come down and try it.”

Top Photo via Bryant’s Cider

Richmond Book Shop: A Time Capsule in the Heart of Broad Street

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Since 1969, Richmond Book Shop has thrived, keeping its original vintage feel alive for a new generation of Broad Street literati. 

For the vintage-holic — or frankly, anyone who appreciates culture — walking into Richmond Book Shop is like being a beer enthusiast walking into your favorite brewery. Bob Marley and Ralph Steadman posters decorate the glass window facing busy West Broad Street, along with other vintage postcards and prints. Across from Rumors Boutique and next door to Alchemy Coffee, Richmond Book Shop has been a staple in the River City since 1969.

What keeps customers coming back to the shop is undoubtedly the collage-like aesthetic of both old and new art, literature, and all-around cool shit: at the back of the store, a mannequin with a skull as a head can be seen lounging atop a bookcase. A sun-faded hula-girl outfit hangs on a mannequin at the front of the store, by some cardboard boxes. Categorized glamour shots and pin-ups of living and dead (but mostly dead) celebrities fill the corner.

Big, comfy chairs are strategically placed at the intersections of the different book genres. The flair of Richmond Book Shop speaks to an understanding for the human experience — an existence that feels akin to the wisdom and zen experienced in the back of a hippie’s van. The store has, somehow, managed to garnish wisdom with age. The feel and aesthetic is old-fashioned but not overbearing — and it provides lots of things to read and look at.

“It’s been here,” said Kathryn Pritz, who co-owns the store with her husband. “It started on Main Street as Cuckoo’s Books in 1949, and then the owner at the time moved the store here in 1969 and changed the name to Richmond Book Shop.”

The Pritzes have owned the shop for about 25 years. “They were selling it in 1995, and at first my husband was just buying tons of stuff,” Pritz said. “I was like, ‘Why don’t you just buy the whole business?’ And we discussed it and he did.” She laughs.

The husband and wife pair have successfully managed to navigate the fluctuating economy, VCU’s expansion attempts, and, most impressively, the digital age.

“We have more than the usual bookstore, with posters, prints, records, and tapestries. We had to expand, because at the time, the digital world was taking off. Everyone was like ‘Oh, I’m gonna buy it on Amazon,’” Pritz reflected. “But over the years, it went from people being enthralled with e-readers to ‘I can’t stand reading a book online, it hurts my eyes.’ Besides, there’s just something about actually holding something in your hand and being able to examine it, and know that this is what you’re gonna get.”

Old-school retail stores like Richmond Book Shop have become more and more of a rarity in the area as VCU has grown, but Pritz doesn’t see the university’s increased presence in the area as entirely bad.

“There’s pros and cons,” she said. “VCU tends to want to buy everything in sight and not everybody wants to sell. But compared to 1995, it’s a lot safer. You didn’t walk down the back streets here at night. You just didn’t do it. They came in, between all the different agencies, local and feds; cleaned it up — right up. And a bunch of students started moving in.”

The shop seems to be one of the rare stores that have actually benefited from the expansion of VCU. Students and young adults can be seen, at any given moment, poking their heads in to see what’s up with the cool posters in the front, thumbing through old postcards and fashion magazines, or browsing the shelves; not exactly looking for anything, but interested in everything. Perhaps the specificity of the store, along with its quirkiness, was what helped it weather the changes of the city.

They say niches get the riches, and niche is Richmond Book Shop’s specialty.  

Although the shop continues to maintain good business (despite odd hours), Pritz is adamant that Richmond Book Shop is still a “passion” project. “[Like] a lot of the book sellers, we don’t do it to make a huge profit or anything,” she said. “It’s more of a love for it than you’re going to make a lot of money. You don’t — it’s a tricky business.”

Richmond Book Shop may be surviving, but in the age of the internet, things are a bit more tenuous than they once were. “It can be very rough during the summer and Christmas breaks, but I think there will always be a love for the actual physical book,” Pritz said. “I don’t think that will ever go away. If it does, that will be a very sad day for mankind.”

With carpeted floors and eclectic decorations, the vibe of Richmond Book Shop feels almost like the vibe of a store that would sell healing crystals instead of books. One can’t help but feel serendipitous when browsing — that whatever you pick up, somehow, was meant for you to pick up.

So when you browse at Richmond Book Shop, follow your instincts. After all, that’s the way the store was set up in the first place.

Photos by Ethan Malamud

Rooted & Rising: Richmond Thrives With BLK RVA

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“It’s more than just what’s in your history books.” BLK RVA showcases the booming black cultural scene that’s made Richmond what it is today. 

In the last 10 years, Richmond has exploded as a creative hub — in a good way. As someone who was born and raised here, I understand the potential culture this city has to offer, and recently it has acted on that potential. Now more than ever, creative spaces are being opened, small festivals are spread out across the city throughout the year, and even small indie and underground artists are gaining an increase in recognition.

But as natives, this is something we’re all used to; we’re almost unbothered by some of these things, because they happen so often. Yet as we reach 2020, the city has grown into a creative hub not many would have believed possible looking back on it years ago. It’s not the largest hub there is, but it’s definitely there — and it’s definitely working. 

Photo via BLKRVA

Inside of the gears of the City of Richmond, the black community has been working tirelessly to bring more attention to the cultural efforts they’ve produced in our home. What they’ve produced is nothing short of amazing, and it’s been influential to the culture of the entire River City. 

The black community has helped complete an unfinished circle in the perfect Virginia experience: one that many people who call themselves Virginians have never truly seen before. Luckily for them, a platform that emphasizes this black Richmond experience is here, and sits at our fingertips at this very moment. 

BLKRVA is a platform that highlights black spaces and black faces. It showcases Richmond to travelers from all around the world, working to spread the history and culture of the city to the extent that it deserves. 

Its central base is a tourism website, which features a plethora of black-owned businesses, events, and artists — ultimately it’s everything you’d want to see in Richmond, that you’d never know is right around the corner. 

“We’re the only ones in the Commonwealth to do something like this, and I believe we’re the second in the nation, behind Philadelphia,” said Amy Wentz, Member of BLKRVA Action Team. 

Photo via BLKRVA

Because of our city’s history with slavery and as the capital of the Confederacy, outsiders may have cringed at the thought of visiting Richmond. But with the light in our dark history, we’ve grown with the past, and Richmond is more now than just a scarred city. Much of that is thanks to the very people who were scarred by that history. 

While the black experience is not all there is in Richmond, it’s a major part of the overall Virginia experience. BLKRVA has given this experience a louder voice, telling the public, “It’s more than just what’s in your history books, and you’ll never know until you see it.” 

Their key tagline, “Rooted & Rising,” serves as both a reminder and realization: a reminder of their rich history in the state of Virginia, but also a “call to action,” rising against the negative connotations that come with it. 

Richmond is a hot spot in commemorating the history of America, and with that comes a commemoration of enslaved Africans. Over time, they helped advance Richmond into what it is today, despite the hardships they faced in their lives. 

Though the BLKRVA campaign was only launched earlier this summer, the organizers have been working behind the scenes on this plan for years. They have seen success working with larger black-owned events, such as the Afrikana Film Festival and The Black Restaurant Experience, which brought crowds of people nationwide to see the new cultural perspective Richmond has to offer. As time went on, the members of the campaign noticed a surging trend in foreign visitors coming to appreciate the efforts of black Richmond culture. This led them to reformat their work, bringing a focus to black-owned businesses that are staples of the city. 

Photo via BLKRVA

From there, the BLKRVA campaign was created with Richmond Region Tourism as a one-stop-shop, categorizing all the different black Richmond events for visitors and residents alike. 

Their listings include well over 100 restaurants, attractions, and events that take place across the city throughout the year. Listings include Addis Ethiopian, the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, Big Herm’s Kitchen, Treat Shop RVA, C’est Le Vin Art & Wine Gallery, the Hippodrome Theater, Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, Sheep Hill Bistro, and many more.

Along with highlighting these black spaces in Richmond, BLKRVA also tells the stories of black citizens in the city, focusing on black creatives and writers. With this platform, creatives can explain their day-to-day activities to tell the story of a day in the life of a black Richmonder. Their interviews and features put the spotlight on public figures like Mecca Williams, Nadira Chase, Nickelus F, and Samantha Willis. 

Photo via BLKRVA

“If you want to be as a local would be, these interviews will give you everything you need,” said Wentz. 

It’s not often that people like this are given a voice, which makes their recommendations even more special than before. Ultimately, it fills the visiting experience for those who want to see our city from a different perspective. 

“It’s time for us to start celebrating and uplifting the black experience here; because of the easier access to travelling now, it’s up to us to change that connotation about Virginia,” Wentz said. “And it starts with things like this.”

PHOTO: BLKRVA

A decade ago, Wentz started “BlackRVA” single-handedly, as the original plan for showcasing black events and black-owned business in Richmond. With the help of her action team, she was able to manifest BLKRVA into the large, influential position it’s in today. 

“When I first started it, I had so much going on. I could hardly manage it how it should be… how it is now,” said Wentz. “So I’m very grateful to be able to work with so many different creatives, and bring out the true potential that BLKRVA had to offer.” 

As BlackRVA grew into BLKRVA, a Richmond Region Tourism platform, the potential to highlight the black culture scene in Richmond has grown along with it. They’ve expanded their coverage beyond the Greater Richmond area, and further into surrounding counties like Hanover, New Kent, Henrico, and Chesterfield.

Because of the innovative boom in the city, a new atmosphere has grown. It has allowed BLKRVA to flourish and prosper into successful platform — from one woman’s idea to the powerhouse of a team it is today, time has treated BLKRVA well, and given the team the tools they needed to build the organization up. 

“It feels great to know that these places are trusting us with what we do, because it’s never been done before. If we don’t make these places noticeable, they may never get the recognition they deserve,” said Wentz. “It’s one thing to do your own advertising, but to work with a cohesive brand and a team of other businesses just makes the impact more effective.” 

If you want to get involved with BLKRVA, check out their website to become a part of their upcoming events in the 2019 season, or message them to talk about volunteer or donation opportunities. 

Whenever you’re thinking about how to change your Richmond experience, I’d advise paying BLKRVA’s website, at visitblkrva.com, a visit. You may find exactly what you’re looking for. 

Top Image via BLKRVA

Pagan Baby: Weekend Playlist by Nick Swartz of No Lies Just BS Podcast

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Every Friday night, RVA Mag brings you a lovely and wonderful playlist curated by Virginia’s most influential artists, musicians, and institutions.

This one comes to us from Nick Swartz, who is not only the main man behind the No Lies Just Bullshit podcast, but also the owner of Harrisonburg’s Alley Cat Tattoo. Beginning with nothing more than he and a rotating crew of friends and relatives telling stories about their crazy lives, the podcast has grown over the past three years to host world-renowned guests from the worlds of tattooing and punk rock. It was even the place where the world first learned about the Avail reunion that took place last month!

For his playlist, Swartz brings us a wide spectrum of tunes, everything from metal to country to hip hop, but all of it comes from a spirit of rebellion and freedom. This makes it the perfect playlist to enjoy as you launch your wild n’ wolly summer weekend.

Get loose, Virginia.

Open this playlist from mobile in your Spotify app HERE.

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

Not Your Father’s Tattoo Shop: All About You Tattoo Challenges Stereotypes With Pride

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*This article was originally published on GayRVA. It comes from GayRVA’s Fall 2018 Pride Guide, released in conjunction with 2018′s VA PrideFest. Grab a copy of the print edition at your favorite shops around town, or check out the digital version here.

Though the storefront is innocuous enough, it says all you need to know: “TATTOO,” in old-school Americana lettering, jagged and bold. It’s the most eye-catching thing about this Midlothian Turnpike strip mall, the font reminiscent of Sailor Jerry era iconography – replete with dagger-pierced hearts and pin-up girls.

On the outside, it promises a predictable, grunge interior. Luckily, All About You Tattoo refuses to deliver. Instead, this LGBTQ-owned, all-female Richmond shop offers a harmonious marriage of traditional tattooing and a modern mentality. If the clean, crisp pale purple walls don’t tip you off, the fact that “Landslide” is playing full blast as I push through the door should do the trick.

Shop owner Diana Burkholder is tattooing a father-daughter pair when I arrive. She’s wearing a black tee and clunky combat boots, and she greets me with a hug, though we’ve never met. There is an immediate ease to the interior, and Burkholder’s partner in business and life, Kim Blevins, explains to me that the atmosphere is more than intentional.

It’s open-concept and neat, the walls tastefully decorated, though much of the paint is bare. It’s designed so customers don’t get overwhelmed, explained Blevins, and they try to make all the work hung at the artists’ stations their own. It’s an instant, hanging resume, and Burkholder’s corner is crowded with striking photo-realistic black and white portraits. There’s a Pride poster just inside the door.

“It’s one of a kind,” said Raine Lanno, the other artist at the shop. “You come here, and you get treated like family. That’s what a service experience should be about.”

All About You Tattoo’s mission is to create a different kind of tattoo shop. They emphasize acceptance, striving to cater to a diverse clientele – be it age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender. They’re changing the stereotypical view of tattoos, from the boy’s-club, conventional mentality, to a shop designed to be accessible to everyone.

“It was always my dream to give women a chance,” said Burkholder. “We found a place that we felt comfortable in. We created this.”

They’ll be at this year’s VA PrideFest to make this inclusion clear.

“Our community can walk in here and feel comfortable,” said Blevins. “They can be who they are.”

The day I visit, there’s five women on the floor – Burkholder and Lanno, the artists; Blevins, who helps handle the administrative side and keep the shop running; and two apprentices. Lanno is in the back corner under the glow of a softbox light, tattooing a strip of arabic script on a guest.

“I don’t care if you’re getting an infinity symbol or getting a whole sleeve, everybody gets the same amount of respect,” said Blevins. “People can feel comfortable getting their first tattoo or their millionth.”

The air is perfumed with the whir of rotary tattoo machines, and beyond the front counter is a seating area of plush leather furniture and low coffee tables. Burkholder said she designed it to feel like a living room – clean and comfortable. A lack of partitions allows for an easy banter that Lanno and Burkholder toss from station to station. Beyond a low barrier, past two squat, cement guardian lions, are a fleet of repurposed massage tables, bookended by rows of ink and equipment.

Burkholder started tattooing when she was young, but the environment was nearly impossible to break into as a woman. “I couldn’t get accepted. It was like every shop I went in I pretty much got laughed at because I was a girl,” said Burkholder. “It was so hard for me, so I wrote it off.”

She had to work unlicensed, illegally, just to prove herself. “You had to tattoo ten times better than a man just to get the same credit that he would.”

She grew up tattooing in biker shops, surrounded by a hyper-masculine environment, where every step forward was a struggle. Often, early tattoo shops were cemented in misogyny and exclusion; All About You has become the antithesis of those experiences.

“Here you don’t have to be compared. You work with all women, women are your boss. You never have to feel degraded,” said Lanno. “These aren’t just my bosses. These are my friends, my family.”

Lanno, 24, has been under Burkholder’s tutelage since she was 19 – “That’s the only thing I know.” Though she’s heard horror stories about apprentice experiences from other shops, she found comfort and home in Burkholder’s leadership.

“Diana sheltered me through my apprenticeship,” said Lanno, and Blevins interrupted: “She’s so young, she could be our child.”

The three of them tilt together on the couch, and Burkholder laughed. “She is our child.”

It’s a popular refrain in small businesses: that in this shop they’re so close, they’re actually family. But here at All About You, I actually believe it. They rib and bicker, poking fun and teasing, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen three people so happy to be at work.

“If you spend all your time here, don’t you want to enjoy the people you’re around?” asked Burkholder.

Even Burkholder and Blevins, who work together all day, and live together all night, say they aren’t tired of each other.

“You never get on my nerves,” said Burkholder. And then they laughed, like it’s a little bit of a lie, but they still wouldn’t have it any other way.

It means something for guests to see a shop run by an openly lesbian couple. All About You brings in a lot of repeat customers; couples, families, and friends, alike.

“I can count on both hands how many families come in to get tattoos together,” said Lanno.

I myself walk in without a tattoo to my name, and any chance of getting one seems such a distant possibility, you couldn’t even see it if you squint. Call it a fear of commitment, or disappointing my Southern-raised father, but it’s never been on the menu. But no one at All About You minds.

Burkholder said it’s important that they never guilt people about their tattoos, no matter how big or small. “I don’t want people to judge me for having tattoos, so I’m not going to judge people for not having them,” said Burkholder. “I have a twin brother, and he doesn’t have a tattoo on him.”

The second day I visit the shop, there’s a woman, over 60, sitting in the shiny, black leather chair.  Lanno works away at her shoulder, tattooing a bee to replace a now-misshapen flower. Her son is in the opposite seat. It’s a family affair, one that targets the demographics that other shops may seek to exclude.

For Burkholder, her sexuality is a non-issue. She exudes confidence, and that in itself allows for a buoy of inherent comfort. “It’s hard to say that I’ve felt any kind of way about being gay in this industry,” said Burkholder. It’s as much a part of her as her ink, or her womanhood, and the power is in using that confidence to ease other people on their journey.

Burkholder and Lanno promise they can draw anything – “from girly to gore” – but the shop runs on a shameless and unabashed love for drawing women.

“It’s because they’re so beautiful,” Burkholder interjected, laughing.

Specifically, Burkholder specializes in black and gray realism, portraits, and surrealism. Lanno prefers neo-traditional and fantasy. She characterizes her work as “girly” – Disney meets Lisa Frank.

But regardless of style, it’s the people who matter the most.

“If you rely on the aesthetic of something, then you’re not looking at someone for real,” said Lanno. “Tattooing isn’t just about putting art on your body. It’s making sure that somebody comes in, and they feel comfortable, and they have an experience.”

All About You’s current location was a fresh start. It was an escape from the suffocation of the tattoo-norm, a chance to redefine their work and business by their own standards. They renovated the space, originally a convenience store, from the ground up – from repaneling the floor to the inner guts of the plumbing. “We did everything by ourselves,” said Burkholder. “All women built this motherfucker.”

It doesn’t take flowery prose to illustrate All About You’s legacy. The truth of it is written all over their bodies, like Blevins’ sleeve made up almost entirely of Burkholder’s original designs, or one of Lanno’s first tattoos, etched on the back of her calf. They are imprinted on each other and, in turn, their customers.

You can start small. A tattoo on the inside of your wrist. A quote on your forearm. That lower-back tramp stamp that everybody told you was a bad idea. The best part about ink is the idea of a forever – it’s as permanent as blood when it’s written on skin.

“The number one [goal] is teaching women to be confident about themselves,” said Burkholder. And I believe it, because she’s taken a world that by all accounts should be closed to me – with my obviously bare arms, my ignorance, and my non-edgy good intentions – and she’s made me feel welcome in a single evening, without ever putting a tattoo machine against my skin.

I walk out the same way I came in, tattooless. But, for the first time in my life – and don’t tell my dad – I’m thinking about it.

Photos by Sarah Kerndt