The possibility of tattoo parlors in DeKalb may become a reality, pending the passage of a city ordinance that will allow tattoos to be given.

Mayor Kris Povlsen said he cannot predict whether the proposed ordinance will pass, but said he has no problem with a tattoo parlor opening in the city.

“Things like loud boomboxes or smoky leaves burning, that affects me. But if someone decides to get a tattoo, that’s fine with me,” Povlsen said.

He explained that tattoos are seen as more common now than they were in the past.

“We don’t want to have 17 tattoo parlors downtown, but I believe personally that tattoos are a norm now,” he said.

When tattoo parlors were proposed to the council in the past, it always voted against the ordinance because the council was wary of allowing businesses without health regulations, Povlsen said. Now, statewide regulations for establishments that give tattoos have been put into place

“That’s a big burden [that] whoever has a tattoo parlor will have to take care of,” he said.

Staying safe

Health standards are something that Chris May and Jon Bowman, co-owners of Proton Studio, 302 E. Lincoln Hwy in Cortland, have made sure to prioritize during their six-and-a-half years of partnership in the tattoo business.

“We just had a lady from [the Occupational Safety and Health Administration] come in,” May said. “She was impressed. We work hard to keep our [studio] clean and safe.”

May said the biggest part of his job is keeping the studio sterile, and if the DeKalb ordinance does pass and a parlor opens, he wants to see the same safety standards that he holds.

“My biggest worry is that someone will be slopping through,” he said. “I don’t want to have to compete with that. We established our own regulations early so when the public health regulations were put into place, we were prepared.”

Bowman stressed the importance of being prepared to open a studio.

“They must be properly trained,” Bowman said. “We’ve been careful for so long. I don’t want someone to come in [the area] and do shoddy a shoddy job. It would make us look bad too.”

Consumer decisions

Both Bowman and May expressed their concern about tattoo studios that are unsafe, but said as long as a parlor doesn’t come into DeKalb and threaten anyone’s health, they don’t mind having competition.

Bowman said anyone in the market for a tattoo should shop around and decide which studio and which artist is right for the art they want.

“It’s up to the public to do their research on the artist. You should walk in and ask for a portfolio,” Bowman said. “It’s a really smart thing to do.”

Cortland resident Loren Legorreta has gotten three of his tattoos at Proton Studio.

“I’ve been to a couple of places,” Legorreta said. “I like what I get here the best.”

Opening up shop

Though the decision regarding tattoo parlors in DeKalb hasn’t been made, one business owner is already preparing to open his shop to tattooing. Ken Weinstock, owner of Out On a Whim, 127 E. Lincoln Hwy, hopes that if the ordinance passes through city council he can open his body piercing shop up to tattooing soon after. Weinstock said he is counting on his reputation as a body piercer to bring in tattoo business. Weinstock said he hopes to start tattooing within “about a month after the ordinance comes through.”

Weinstock said that bringing more traffic through his shop will increase the amount of people coming to the downtown DeKalb area.

“Eight percent of [clientele] is local, 12 percent from the college. The rest come from all over,” he said.

Decision making

Povlsen said he can’t be specific about when the decision will be made about allowing tattooing within the city, but he can see the decision being made within 60 to 90 days. He said the plans have been turned over to the plan commission. Because the tattoo studios would be a new type of business, the commission must come up with rules and regulations. Povlsen said he can’t predict whether the ordinance will pass, but encourages all residents to speak up with their opinions on the decision.

“We want to keep the public involved in the decision-making,” Povlsen said.