What's In A Name?

[kylegrey]

Hands down best Tattooers name is Valerie Vargas , Quentin Tarantino eat your heart out . In the event of me winning Lotto I would promptly open a shop in the London Tower or the like and name it " Ye Olde Tat - Zappery " the name being stolen from @hogg .

[Colored Guy]

We have a local shop called "Tattoo Frenzy", probably an okay shop, but I'd never set foot in the place due to the name.

I've always thought a name like "While-U-Wait Tattooing" would be perfect.

Rob

[David Flores]

Whilst I go along and agree with what David Flores said, I wanted to offer two examples which show there are probably some exceptions ..

Into You in London, owned by Alex Binnie is a great shop with amazing artists. So is The Family Business also in London and run by Mo Coppoletta. Both shops have not a name which immediately identifies them as a tattoo shop but are well known and deliver outstanding work.

Probably here we can apply the idiom 'The exception proves the rule' .. :-)

May not follow the mold exactly, but they both do have less than four words. Plus neither of them sound like Juggalo names.

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Here's one: The same name as another tattoo shop, even if it's in another country.

When stuck for a name, call it the name of the street it's on or the name or the nearest major street. Works like a charm.

Although we do still get phone calls at the shop that go:

*ring*ring*

"Hello, Frith Street Tattoo, can I help?"

"...erm, what street are you on?"

"We're on Frith Street"

"Ok, thanks"

*click*

Their is a bar here in Portland called Belmont Station, they moved on block over on Stark, but still kept the name, it becomes confusing at times.

The same name thing is a weird thing. first shop I really hung at was Deluxe Tattoo in Portland, which has been around for awhile, I mean originally it was All American Tattoo, but at least since mid 80's, but most people would associate the name with Deluxe Tattoo in Chicago. On the other hand I work at shop now called Acme Tattoo Co, but most would associate that name with Don Nolan, in Minnesota who had the handle first and I know a couple other people have taken on that name.I think the thought was the shop was basically going to tattoo people in Portland and other parts of oregon but that's about it. Oddly enough he chose Acme to be first in the phonebook, but a couple of us really wanted Tip Top Tattoo. Ironically enough someone opened Aardvark Tattoo a couple years ago and nobody uses the phonebook and the internet has connected everyone.

[Brock Varty]

Aardvark Tattoo

Wow, what a name....

[graybones]

I had a friend in high school who dreamed of opening a shop called "Kaotic Kustomz Ink" and it's a good thing he didn't.

K's in place of C's for business names bothers me an unreasonable amount... there's a stirp club down the street called The Klassy Kat, makes me angry every time I see the sign. Why not just go with "The Classy Cat"??

makes me think... how about The Tatty Shack for a bad shop name? Or: Tits 4 Tats.

[durtyxsanchezz]

K but no stencils or reference! Lol

Is There any other way besides freehand with the tat2 "gun" hahaha ;)

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K's in place of C's for business names bothers me an unreasonable amount... there's a stirp club down the street called The Klassy Kat, makes me angry every time I see the sign. Why not just go with "The Classy Cat"??

makes me think... how about The Tatty Shack for a bad shop name? Or: Tits 4 Tats.

lmao...im thinkin more like Tatz 4 Titz! hahahah:cool:

[reverend1]

Why not just go with "The Classy Cat"??T

It wouldn't be as classy.

[CultExciter]

It wouldn't be as classy.

You mean "klassy."

[Shannon Shirley]

in Pensacola ,Fl. ...Tit for tat... In Mobile, Al. ...Scarred Hard... they just don't sound like excellence.

[Graeme]

in Pensacola ,Fl. ...Tit for tat... In Mobile, Al. ...Scarred Hard... they just don't sound like excellence.

Scarred Hard is amazing. Tried googling them (why??? I don't have to see their tattoos to know how shitty they are) and the results I got were either Metallica lyrics or about issues about scarring in tattoos. Least surprising thing in the world.

[Shannon Shirley]

maybe they didnt make it. never went there.

Scarred Hard is amazing. Tried googling them (why??? I don't have to see their tattoos to know how shitty they are) and the results I got were either Metallica lyrics or about issues about scarring in tattoos. Least surprising thing in the world.

[DJDeepFried]

Skratchers Alley

Kitchen Slingerz

Cheep Needlez

Hep C's Garage

[Shaun1105]

Here's one: The same name as another tattoo shop, even if it's in another country.

I'd like to nominate Skinworks as the classic bad example of this. It's the name of the only shop in my little city in Ontario (and it's called Skinworks Studio so it additionally fails on the "tattoo" requirement).

Along with variants like Skinworkz, Skinworx, Skin Works, etc., it is also the name of shops in:

Louisiana

California

Ohio

Alabama

Georgia

New York

Ireland

Australia

Phillipines

Costa Rica

Greece

and the Netherlands

The work in them ranges from well below average to pretty good (for it's style). A lot of really terrible websites among them as well.

[Tick]

we actually had/have (I don't pay attention much to the other shops in town) a shop called POISON INK.... I always thought that was one of the most horrible names I had ever heard.

I actually tattooed a guy that had gotten a tattoo there, and had gotten an infection. Now, I make no claims that anything they did caused the infection, I just thought it was ironic as shit!

[Donn]

I am always surprised when people open up shops with the name that a simple google search would show is pretty common and already in use. If your going to put all the effort into starting a shop a new name seems like a fairly simple thing.

[JustBrowsin]

I get all mine done at Inksmith & Rogers World Famous Tattoos. Has a nice ring to it. That & the truth lies w/in the name of it.

[slayer9019]

Simple names do it for me. I also like names you can say with one word for short.

Frith St

Invisible NYC

Saved tattoo

Blackheart

Adorned

Yes these are shops I also like but they are not instilling fear or any "hardcore broootal" image in my mind.

Any names that come off with a "hardcore" sound to them I'll skip for sure. Anything with misspellings drive me insane. Especially k for a c. Kustom Ink. Every time I read one of those names I always day "bro" after it. Aka "kustom ink bro!"

[missStark]

There is a shop here in Salt Lake called "Hardcore tattoo". I've never actually met anyone who got a tattoo there but I can only imagine. Also there is a shop in southern Utah, St. George I believe, called "garage Ink". I have seen a tattoo from there and it looks just like they got it out of someone's garage.

I know of a guy, who has no business even tattooing, but he was talking about wanting to open his own shop and call it "Victim" ....really? This same guy also currently works in a scratcher shop and took a break mid-tattooing to "use the bathroom" 30 min later while his client was still waiting in the chair, this guy was found passed out in the bathroom with a needle in his arm. I guess "Victim" is fitting!

A friend recently told me about a shop in the Boston area called "Fuck you just panthers" I had a good laugh at that!

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I like when shops are named after iconic tattoo designs like "Rock of Ages", "Pharaoh's Horses", "Hot Stuff", etc...

[Brock Varty]

There is a shop here in Salt Lake called "Hardcore tattoo". I've never actually met anyone who got a tattoo there but I can only imagine. Also there is a shop in southern Utah, St. George I believe, called "garage Ink". I have seen a tattoo from there and it looks just like they got it out of someone's garage.

I know of a guy, who has no business even tattooing, but he was talking about wanting to open his own shop and call it "Victim" ....really? This same guy also currently works in a scratcher shop and took a break mid-tattooing to "use the bathroom" 30 min later while his client was still waiting in the chair, this guy was found passed out in the bathroom with a needle in his arm. I guess "Victim" is fitting!

A friend recently told me about a shop in the Boston area called "Fuck you just panthers" I had a good laugh at that!

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I like when shops are named after iconic tattoo designs like "Rock of Ages", "Pharaoh's Horses", "Hot Stuff", etc...

That Fuck you Just Panthers shop definetaly exists. I just googled that shit...awesome.

[Tiny Tim]

I just thought of an idea. Try to think of the worst possible name for a tattoo shop.

I am going with Infected Ink for my first submission, it fits my formula but still I think i would pass.

I definitely think bad names either sound too intense or like they are trying to hard.

I have some good names for shops as well, but saving those just in case.

Most any name that include 'Ink-' or 'Tatt-' into their title is annoying to me..

A slight variation on your suggestion... INKfected Tattoo Emporium and Warehouse

[Jack]

GREESY GUNZ TATTY2OO

you're welcome.

[spyro]

names and marketing always matter and often relate to the credibility of the shop, so I agree.

[Gregor]

Worst shop names - "the scratchers kitchen"

[rocketfish344]

marketing is always important for any business.

[MadeIndelible]

I know this is going to sound weird coming from a guy who has the username "Boodah," (I've had this username on another site since I was about 19 and didn't know any better, and I wanted to keep it since some of the people on that site are on here) but I appreciate a well named tattoo shop. Idle Hand is a good one that comes to mind. As was said earlier, the name-the-shop-by-the-street-name ones are good as well.