The birthplace of modern tattooing sits at the intersection of Division Street, Chatham Square and The Bowery. In 1961 NYC banned tattooing and did not re-legalize until 1997. In the early 1900’s work lived primarily at the shipping docks and construction sites. Each morning men would line up, standing on cartons and crates while bosses looked them over and made their selections on who would be given daily assignments. Those with black eyes would often be passed over out of concern they would be a problem and cause trouble. During this era, it was common for tattoo parlors and barbershops...

The entire TS family is deeply saddened at the news of the passing of Tattoo Artist Boo Boo Negrete. Our thoughts and prayers are with Freddy (Negrete), family & friends. Tattooing will forever keep his memory alive. Please take a moment to check out this article that the NY Times did on Freddy & his sons.

I’ve always had a deep appreciation for traditional tattooing. Not just because it’s what our community’s foundation was built on but because these tattoos are so completely reliant on having clean, straight lines and bold, solid saturation. The simplistic designs allow tattooers to showcase how they have honed their craft. It’s no secret that the majority of traditional style tattoo artists always have tended to be “loyal to the coil” folks that have a sort of romance with the smell of flux from the apprenticeship days of making their own needles. However, surprising enough, more and more traditional tattoo artist...