Thank you for pointing me toward a discussion on the subject. Of course I don't know the motivation of "Old Man River" and whatever his/her motivations were or his intended purpose is not my concern. What I do know is that many non-tattooing owners (or at least non serious collectors) often fail at opening shops. This is true for many reasons; some the same as the original poster had in mind and probably many others as well. On the other hand, artist owners opening shops also fail at a remarkable rate and again for many reasons. The fact is, businesses open and close for many reasons.
I'm not in any rush. I've been working on this for more than 5 years and feel no need or desire to force anything. Once everything is in place, I will decide at that point if it is even worth the effort or not. You are very correct in your identification of potential pitfalls, challenges and problems. But those exist regardless of who attempts to open a shop. Even artists have difficulty in someone elses shop or their own. This is a business. It requires licenses and inspections and supplies, etc.
My thoughts are simple; every minute an artist is working out payroll, taxes, rent, utilities, etc they are not working on their art. It is their art that provides the income for his family and revenue to support the business. Unless everyone is only working out of their home but that is another issue. The ignorance I see with many posts about basic aseptic techniques and other things is frightening.
The number of tattooists is increasing probably largely in part to the "reality shows". Personally I think the best one made isn't even on the air yet but should be soon. I am sure everybody here already knows of the work of Marcus Kuhn, Gypsy Gentleman. The problem is many think they just buy a $40 kit, practice on a bag of grapefruits and *snap* they are now a professional tattooist. Many go to the 2-week wonder courses that somehow infuse immense amounts of experience and skills. Many of these open shops. Most fail.
So I appreciate the opinions and I have my own. I have done my own research and know what direction I want to go and will consider all options including "none of the above" but that decision is mine to make and will be for my own reasons. I don't know any of those who posted here nor do any of them know me at all. The post you referred me to definitely has merit and is of interest. I understand the attitudes artists will have toward non-artist owners and I do respect that.
Time will tell. I'm patient and have no need to rush into anything. I've already spent 5 years considering the matter and invested quite a bit of time and money on the subject. But I feel no pressure. If this site proves to have information of value I will gladly remain and perhaps even contribute in areas that I certainly have experience in.
