Tattoo studio already etched with success
A Middlesbrough tattoo studio, opened by two couples just eight months ago, is already etched with success.
In October the work of Paul Watson was recognised at the Ink on the Tees convention.
Six weeks ago Chloe Gilkes-Bullock, one of six artists working at Iron Hills Tattoo Co, came away with three awards from the Big North Tattoo Show in Newcastle. The event attracted hundreds of professionals from across the world.
The name of the studio acknowledges the origins of Teesside’s steel industry and a fictitious location in The Lord of the Rings stories. Its anvil logo is both a nod to steel’s legacy and a memory of Paul and former banker Danyell’s wedding at Gretna Green. The couple have a tattoo of an anvil on their hands.
In fact, 43-year-old Paul has tattoos over more than half of his body and is not planning to stop. “I’ve got my back and stomach left really, and then just gaps,” he said. “I don’t think I’d ever be done. Even if I was totally full, I’d just start getting ones over the top of the ones I’ve already got.”
However he admitted that he does find it painful. “I don’t think anybody enjoys getting tattooed and us artists are the worst.”
Paul’s oldest customer was a woman in her 90s who first had a Game of Thrones tattoo and then came back for more. “There was also a man in his 80s who got one on his leg and ended up getting a full leg sleeve,” he remembered.
Tattoos, which were once the preserve of the aristocracy and sailors, are now found on nearly a third of the adult population of the UK which makes it one of the most-inked nations.
As a result more and more studios are opening, with over 5,500 in England, but Paul’s business partner Geoff Wharton is confident Iron Hills will continue to stick out from the crowd.
“Unlike all of us, there aren’t a massive amount of artists in the area who have more than a decade of technical experience,” said the 38-year-old, who met Paul when they both worked at the video hire shop Blockbuster.
Geoff and his partner Abi Flanagan – who is also a teacher at college – Paul and Danyell have also made sure their studio is accessible for the growing number of us who want to be inked.
There is a wheelchair ramp and a disability toilet, neuro-divergent customers are welcomed and the studio’s artists are available seven days a week.
“I think the industry’s changed and it’s more socially acceptable to be tattooed. It’s not so much of a rebellion now,” said Paul.
The couples’ business has already exceeded expectations and its location attracts plenty of passers-by, particularly students.
“We just really love being in Middlesbrough,” said Danyell, the only one of the four not originally from Teesside. “We want some more small businesses around here to bring people in. The area’s dwindling in some places but coming up in others.”
Iron Hills Tattoo is one of a number of new business which have opened in and around the Dundas Shopping Centre. There are two new bakeries – Breadsticks and The Greek Spot; Teddy’s Boutique, selling designer clothing for babies; Steel River Comics, Sarah’s Gifts and the Hanger Shop.
Richard Wilson, a Partner with Portland Dodds Brown, manages the Centre and neighbouring shops on behalf of the owner. “These are challenging times for businesses but we try to give them as much support as possible,” he said. “It so good to see Iron Hills doing so well, not just with the awards but with the number of customers coming to the studio.”
He added: “Middlesbrough town centre has been badly affected by the closure of some big name shops, so it is so encouraging to see that a number of independent businesses have opened. I’m sure that’s the right path for Middlesbrough’s future.”