The Illustrated Man was open on October 2, 1995. Shortly after that day we were struck with the worst snow storm in like 20 years. Roads were closed, schools closed for 2 weeks, state of emergency called. What a wonderful way to launch a new business. Needless to say it was a scary start for Tattoo Jim and his wife Marilyn. Jim was the only artist, Marilyn worked the showroom. They worked 10 hours a day 6 days a week, just by themselves.

Eventually the snow pack melted away, and it was off to the races for the first summertime tattoo rush. Jim and Marilyn decided to take a different approach to shaping the business. Stepping back and looking at it purely from a potential clients' perception painted a different picture than from a tattoo artists point of view.

Bright, well lighted, air conditioned showroom, private rooms for all customers, a greeter in the showroom to help customers find just what they want, digital imaging and rendering  of artwork, all became part of the formula. A bit different from the dirty, dark, scary, rude version....

Now, with the explosion of Artists and Shops and "Tattoo" TV shows it becomes even more difficult for somebody who wants a tattoo, to pick a shop and an artist. The Illustrated Man offers 3 professional artists. Come in and check us out. When someone walks in our front door, we usually hold on to them. Customer Service is our #1 priority. We're still an old fashioned Mom & Pop shop, with the knowlege and technology of today...