Abbagail Mooney, 11, of South Jersey commented, “I love the beauty and the design, it’s unique.” Obsidian Tattoo & Piercing Parlor, 330 W Broad St., Bethlehem, grabbed a lot of attention. To bridge the gap, offering something for those not old enough to get the real deal, Nicole Lee had her booth set up for Henna tattoos. “This is my first time here,” Kyle commented and smiled. “This year we’re noticing a lot of new artists”, Kayla said. Kayla and Kyle already have tattoos, and came out to browse. Two years ago I returned, and I’m happy to be back.” ( ) “I’m from Sellersville, I started in this industry in 1979, lived here for 17 years then moved away. Tattoo artist, Hesse, commented that he enjoys these Expos. “I’ve worked with Carl Hesse for more than a dozen appointments”, a faithful customer, Joe, M. Some customers booked their appointment before the Expo other tattoo artists found their schedule full throughout the show with walk up customers.

“I was so nervous that I was going to act like a big baby in front of all these people! But the artists really put me at ease and I felt more comfortable and not so nervous. Leah, 25, of Northampton was a little nervous, as she decided to get her first tattoo. The weekend is very successful for us.” Dani Ley gets a new tattoo. “ Ali agreed, “This is the third year we’ve been here. Reggie, of Satori Ink, commented, “We’re not really seeing anything surprising, as far as what our clientele wants done, but we’re seeing a lot more first timers, tattoo virgins. A constant companion for her tattoo outings, her son, who’s in the market to add a new creation to his arm.Īmong those in the massive crowd were tattoo virgins. She went on to tell her story of her first tattoo, an owl, in memory of her sister. “People get tattoos for many different reasons, what they choose tells the story of their life”, a Scranton woman explained. This social event was jam packed all weekend with local and many out of state attendees. The tattoo network is endless around the world.Celebrating their 10 th anniversary, the Skindustry Tattoo Expo returned to The Sands Event Center this past weekend. 'We are all just getting together and learning and making friends. 'Sometimes there's language barriers and things like that, but the art just really cuts all of that out,' Shad said. So if you come here and don't have any tattoos or aren't into tattoos, you can still take something out of the event.' 'The main thing that we wanted to do for this event, and for Evansville especially, is don't just make it for people that are tattooed,' Shane said. 'It's a bunch of creative people getting together and sharing ideas, that's the main focus of what we have,' Shane said.īounce houses and other kid friendly activities were set up in other areas of the expo, and drinks and food were available as well. Once that fell through, the Kloses decided to make it local.

The event came to Evansville after the original location in Panama City Beach, Florida, became unavailable due to construction. We're trying to do as much as we can with as few people as possible.' 'It's mainly (my Dad) and I, we have a few people that are helping us. It is the first time the expo has taken place, and he hopes to make it an annual event. Most of the artists booked up with customers early in the weekend, something Shad was happy about.

The expo featured around 80 artists from all over the country, including Kyle Dunbar, who was on Spike TV's 'Ink Master' show during seasons three and four, and Alli Baker who was on season two of 'Best Ink.' It's always been in the forefront of our mind that we would help promote the tattoo industry as a whole and positive tattoo artists.' 'We just wanted to create a different experience for people. 'We've always had it in our sights that we wanted to do our own custom studio and do things a little differently than maybe some other places,' Shad said. Shad also works with his other two children, Ryder and Harlie Starnes. More than 30 different bands and disc jockeys performed as well, including headliner Saving Abel, who played Saturday night. The event spread out across the casino, conference center and Boogie Nights nightclub on the Downtown riverfront. Shad Klos always knew he wanted to put together some kind of tattoo festival or expo.Ī local tattoo artist and owner of Revolution Ink, he set out with his son, Shane, to create the River City Art & Music Fest Tattoo Expo, which started Friday and ran through Sunday at the Tropicana Evansville Hotel and Casino.

Little creek tattoo expo