Black Pearl Tattoo and Body Piercing Focuses on Customers

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Since the purchase of Black Pearl Tattoo and Skate in October 2014, the new owners have made a lot of changes to the longtime area business.

Now known as Black Pearl Tattoo and Body Piercing, co-owner Amber Rushton said the business has brought in a wide selection of jewelry, eliminated the skating equipment once available at the shop, and given the shop a new look.

At the forefront of the business is customer service and sanitation, she said. 

“That’s our main focus, is cleanliness and customer service,” Rushton said. 

After overcoming the initial hurdle of letting people know the business was still open with a new owner, Rushton said the shop has been busy. 

Her husband and co-owner Tom Ingram is typically booked throughout the day with tattoo and piercing appointments.

Along with Ingram, the tattoo shop employees “Spider” Mike Vinatieri, a shop veteran who was “grandfathered in” with the purchase.

Vinatieri has been with the shop 8 or 9 years. The shop has also hired a female tattoo artist who is scheduled to begin at the end of June. Jo Stiehl, from the Portland area, will relocate to the area, providing a unique service to clients.

Rushton said there aren’t many female tattoo artists, so having one in their shop ensures all of their clients are comfortable with the person working on them. Sometimes, she said, women prefer a female tattoo artist, and this would allow for that. 

“I don’t think there are any other female tattoo artists in Lewis County,” Rushton said. “I think she’ll be a good asset.” 

With a high demand for its product, Rushton said she would like to grow the business to include four tattoo artists and a piercer, although that future plan is some time away. The duo also wants to get into the art of tattoo removal in the next five to seven years. 



The important thing when  expanding is to find the right people for the job. The shop’s artists have many years of experience, including Ingram, who has been tattooing since 2005. 

“Everything about it interested me. I never thought I’d be good enough to do any of it, but people kind of gave me the drive and the opportunities to do it and once I got into it, I was hooked. It sealed the deal,” he said. 

Going through tattoo trends is typical in the industry, and right now Ingram said semicolons, writing on the ribs and dreamcatchers are popular. 

Helping to invigorate him and love the business even more is the challenge of running the shop, Ingram said.

“Owning a business is new to me and that’s challenging and exciting,” he said. “I have to balance artwork and business.” 

To keep things interesting, the shop offers a $40 surprise tattoo, which is a deal $20 below the shop minimum. Those interested can reach into a box, and pull out a pre-drawn sketch. The item is handed to the artist who preps for the tattoo. The catch — the client can’t see what it is until it is completed. 

“It’s a lot of fun,” Rushton said. 

The duo eventually wants to grow the business to be self sustaining without them in the shop. They have four children, and their ultimate goal is to be self sufficient off of their farm. 

Until then, the couple is working hard to provide even better quality care to its clients than ever before.