it's fun until it happens in YOUR town!

okay, shit talking aside....i have yet to complete a decent enough portfolio and check out what artists have to offer in my state. I just read the morning news, and fuck me...there is a Hart and Huntington open in the anus of honolulu, WAIKIKI....don't believe it's what you see in postcards, waikiki is ghetto....anyway....so A&E is debuting with Dog the Bounty Hunter going to vegas to get tatted up....and the list of local "celebs" getting work done in the waikiki shop....ugh....fucking people who just want to get on tv, they aren't even celebs! I like to see our asshole of a mayor get work done!! FUCK!!!! i'm sure this is going to change things in the tattoo scene here....it's not going to be fun trying to get an apprenticeship in the future. FUCKKKKKK. all fun and games until it happens in your town!!!! well, if the customer service is anything true like i've heard about H&H in Vegas, the local people here don't take that kind of shit.......this must be like tattoo shop #15 in a tiny barely mile radius of stretches of blocks in one spot. Why? supergay.com

My heart's pumpin' purple piss for ya koochie.

yeah i knew i could find a caring heart in here. <3 the local shops must be so stoked on this H&H

I read an article with one of the top dogs of H&H where he said that they are gonna follow the ideals of Walmart, conquer the world one city at a time!! Damn shame!

i think it's it fucked up. now i see why people get so pissy about every fucking dick and jane entering the biz. and it makes it worse for people like me. but fuck, i'm willing to work harder... they want to be the walmart of the tattoo business? fuck. i'm gonna check out this fucking shop and see what's up. i'll be like the cravink of miami dishing on 305. FUCK H&H and i lived in waikiki for 8 years, dealed with every fucking type that breathes there....it just sucks....i guess they didn't have balls to try hook up a suite in turtle bay and do this shit on the north shore. i mean can you say FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASHJAPANESETOURISTFLASHFLASHMILITARY VISITORFLASHFLASHFLASH

Personally, I prefer to follow a model similar to Target stores. Open in the same areas as Wal-store, offer an overall higher quality of merch and presentation, MUCH better service, and only slightly higher price point. Eventually people will burn out on buying cheap, particle-board, crap that has to be thrown out every time its moved. Something as bloated as WM eventually has to burst. One can hope anyway. This may sound snobbish, but so be it.... Excellent tattoos simply are not for the "lowest common denominator" mentality. I dare say most respectable artists want to appeal to a client that takes pride in the quality of their work, and who is proud when they speak of investing "x" amount of dollars in their body art. Most establised artists I've encountered don't tolerate bargain shoppers for this reason: cater to bargain shoppers, and that will compose your client base. That is to say... folks who want work done as cheap as they can get it just to have a tattoo, not because they care about what they are wearing. So, I laugh heartily when I hear about tattoo studios that want to dominate the world follwing Wally-World's business model. Compare their 'spinner hubcaps' to a company like Lexani or Giovanna. Which would you desire on your vehicle? Do you want the mass production crap, or the stuff that has beauty and value? Kandyman Joe www.pureimaginationtattoos.com www.kandymanjoe.com

Very insightful words Mr. Kandyman Joe. thank you for that post.

Good points, though, I'd say to hell with Target, we're like the custom one of a kind craftspeople. the antique dealers. blacksmiths, jewelry makers. The flashy flash studios aren't our real competition, and you can carve out your niche no matter the cheap competition if your good and smart...