Cosmic Tattoo has established itself in downtown Centralia over nearly three years.
Now, the studio has expanded with two new artists and occupies both front suites at the Tower Mall, located at 320 N. Tower Ave.
To celebrate, Cosmic Tattoo owner and artist Candi Beaver is holding a grand reopening Halloween party on Saturday, Oct. 28, from noon to 8 p.m. The event will feature a variety of special tattoo deals. Those coming in costume will receive $10 off their tattoos and will be entered into a costume contest with prizes, including gift certificates for tattoos.
Free swag bags and food from Lucky N Lawless Bakery will be available while supplies last, along with raffle tickets with a grand prize of a $450 gift certificate to the studio. Additionally, KELA 1470 AM will be broadcasting live from the studio, and Meals of Hope will be collecting canned food donations for the Lewis County senior centers.
Those who bring food to donate will receive an additional discount on their tattoos.
Tattoo specials will be ongoing from noon to 5 p.m. and given out on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Chronicle sat down with Beaver last week to talk more about the party, how she became a tattoo artist and what drove her to open her own studio in downtown Centralia. The party is a way for her and her fellow artists to show the community gratitude for its support, she said.
“It’s a celebration of expanding, and we’re hoping to do this annually as a fun way to connect with the clients,” Beaver said. “We’ve worked really hard as artists to get where we are, and we want to be able to give back.”
Beaver has been tattooing for 12 years. She started when she was 18 years old.
“I pretty much knew from childhood that I was going to be a tattoo artist,” Beaver said. “I grew up in a somewhat old school household. My grandparents made me promise that I would never get any tattoos.”
She knew she wanted to be a tattoo artist after watching The Learning Channel’s reality TV show Miami Ink, which documented the life of tattoo artists in Miami Beach, Florida. After seeing the show, Beaver knew it was possible to make a good living as a tattoo artist.
While Cosmic Tattoo is now established in Centralia, Beaver originally struggled to find opportunities in the area and had to originally start tattooing in Lakewood. She eventually got tired of the drive and decided to open her own studio.
“I was just going to do a private studio with just me, so I could tattoo my clients during my off time, but then it just gradually evolved into this unexpectedly,” Beaver said. “I never planned on having more artists.”
Three other artists now work with her at Cosmic Tattoo, including Justin Cornelison and the two new artists, Joshua Paulino and his apprentice Rahne Holloway.
“I let them basically do what they want. They run their own show, and I just provide the stage,” Beaver added.
It’s not just freedom to schedule clients whenever they want or to take walk-ins, but how the studio is set up that impressed Paulino.
“Candi’s freaking rad. She’s running her shop like it should be. It’s personable. You come here and feel like you’re in a house because there’s privacy,” Paulino said, later adding, “I’ve got 23 years under my belt as a tattoo professional. I’ve owned a couple shops, and, by far, Candi’s doing it the right way.”
Unlike some tattoo studios that have glass windows allowing people walking by to see what’s going on inside, Cosmic Tattoo’s windows have blackout shades that can be drawn and closed, and, if a client desires, the doors can even be locked when they are in the studio.
Many clients go there just for that, especially when getting tattooed on some of the more sensitive areas of their bodies.
“This type of atmosphere takes away the scare of traditional tattoo shops, where you go in and almost feel like a burden being in there,” Paulino said. “It’s not like that here.”
Beaver said, because of the atmosphere, a surprisingly large number of her clients are seniors, many of whom are getting their first tattoos.
“I have so many elderly clients it’s crazy … I would say of the people you think, this is a category you guess would get a tattoo, and then there’s a category of people who you guess wouldn’t. At least half of my clients come from the category who you think wouldn’t get one,” Beaver said.
Aside from tattoos, Beaver uses her studio to help other artists sell their art. Currently, she has some paintings displayed for sale along with crystals and art. She’s looking for more artists who want to sell their work in her studio.
Artists can contact Beaver either on Cosmic Tattoo’s Facebook or Instagram pages, or by calling 360-508-5272.
For more information, visit https://linktr.ee/cosmictattoow.
