INDIANAPOLIS – A local shop has set the goal of making space for everyone to feel comfortable during the process of getting permanent art inked on your body.
Trapdoor Tattoos is working to change the stereotype of going to get a tattoo.
Instead of sticking to a grungy or tough atmosphere, they owners say they are an eclectic and diverse group of people who love pop culture and anything nerdy.
“The way that we actually approach our clients is a more of (an) inclusive space. We accept everybody,” Trapdoor Tattoos co-owner Davion Ellis said. “More to say, that everyone is comfortable in our space. And we kinda make it to where it feels like home when you come in here.”
The Irvington shop is decorated in a style you don’t often find in tattoo parlors.
Anime – or Japanese animation and drawing – comes in many genres and styles. That offers a huge selection for anime fans to choose art to place on their bodies.
And it’s an artform the shop’s owners are passionate about.
“We felt like it was a culture that wasn’t represented as much in the area. So we wanted to kind of, just approach that subculture, and embrace it a little bit more,” Ellis said. “So that way the people that weren’t represented have somewhere they can come and be accepted for getting tattoos and not getting judged for getting anime tattoos.”
The shop is honoring anime on Sunday for National Anime Day. It’s planning a full day of activities ranging from BYOT (build your own tattoo by picking a hat, a character and a background for personalization) to a cosplay contest with prizes. The event begins at noon and ends “whenever the tattoo artists get tired” according to Ellis.
Ellis and the other owners of Trapdoor Tattoos hope the fun that day will heighten even more people’s interest in any genre of tattoo.
Numbers show right now, 1 in 3 American s has at least one tattoo, which is an increase in recent years. Ellis says he can see why.
“It’s an expressive way to describe my personality without actually talking to people,” Ellis said. “When somebody sees me and they see my tattoos, they can see relatable things on me and be like, ‘Oh, this person’s into this, or that,’ and also – it makes you look good! I mean, you see somebody with some tattoos, they’re gonna be looking beautiful.”
Trapdoor Tattoos is located at 5535 E. Washington St. and is open every day from noon to 8 p.m. The shop is hiring right now for different artists of all different styles (not just anime). They say that leaves the door open for all types of perspectives.
