The business of body art
The business of body artBy Rob Sabo Northern Nevada Business Weekly Most tattoo parlors in Carson City and the Reno area are still are profitable, but many shops have experienced declines in walk-in and casual clientele as consumers tighten spending. Most clients nowadays, says Sean Dawley, owner of Hooligans Ink in Carson City, are passionate tattoo collectors who have no qualms about spending money on additional body art. The number of walk-in customers, he says, has dipped 30 percent from the start of the year despite an increase in vehicular traffic passing the shop at Fairview Drive and Saliman Road after the opening of the second leg of the U.S. 395 bypass through Carson City."People that are avid collectors and are really into their body art, they are finding ways to make it happen," Dawley says. "Our walk-in traffic has slowed down a little bit, but not enough to start freaking out yet."Kevin Cox, owner Aces Tattoo on South Virginia Street in Reno, says tattooing is a vanity that most won't give up. "