We are artists.
We don’t do piercings and our work isn’t limited to tattoos. We have elaborate portfolios of our own custom flash and photorealistic drawings for you to choose from. Our art is created by the tattoo artists on staff. We’ll create custom designs for your tattoos and then retire those custom tattoo designs, guaranteeing your tattoo is uniquely yours.
Our artists each have their own preferred styles that are highly developed and include custom designs ranging from traditional and neotraditional tattoo designs to folk art tattoo designs. The shop’s owner, a Michigan native, specializes in hyperrealism and realism tattoos. Darl Papple, the owner, specializes in photorealism tattoos and portrait tattoos.
A fresh take on tattooing.
You will feel comfortable in The Shop. Because we specialize in custom tattoos and portrait tattoos, you will not feel overwhelmed by racks of flash designs picked up at a tattoo expo. Walk in the door, grab a cup of coffee, relax on the couch and enjoy our free wi-fi while you wait for your fully customized tattoo.
The Shop is clean and inviting.
The business is licensed through the State of Michigan as a Body Art Facility in full compliance and has been inspected by the Livingston County Health Department. We’re happy to put even the tattoo-skittish mind at ease with a guided tour explaining why we managed to get zero code violations at our opening and follow-up inspection and what we do to maintain a sanitary environment year round.
Though we are located in Fowlerville, Michigan, we frequently tattoo clients from around the nation. We have clients as far away as Florida and Arizona. In the portrait and photo-realism category, our furthest client lives in Georgia. Of course, this doesn’t include our clients deployed overseas, many of whom are loyal to Darl for his highly realistic memorial tattoos.
We offer veterans discounts and specials.
Some of our active duty military and veteran clients have chosen Darl, because he is able to tattoo a precise replica of an important patch or medal or the portrait of a loved one to be remembered. Others are loyal to him, because (as a veteran himself) the owner of The Shop is happy to offer discounts and deployment tattoos to veterans.
(Our tattoo artists are independent contractors, so the military discounts and deployment tattoo special only applies to tattoos by Darl.)
Our tattoo clients’ demographics vary.
Our tattoo clients live in Howell, Brighton, Pinckney, Hartland, Webberville, Stockbridge and Fowlerville primarily. We also regularly see tattoo clients from the Detroit, Jackson and Lansing areas. If you are driving further than 45 miles to get your body art, please let your tattoo artist know and we can try to arrange for a travel discount to be taken from the price of your custom tattoo. We also do custom artwork for out-of-state clients. If you are coming in from out of state, we’d be happy to help you locate lodging and point you towards dining and entertainment venues we think you will enjoy.
Our clients are both male and female, with slightly more women than men. Most of those women are moms aged 25-45, though we’ve tattooed adults of all ages. The love of tattoos is eternal in human nature, and not bound to one age group. We do not tattoo minors though. Here is an explanation as to why we have a policy not to tattoo minors even with parental consent.
Slideshow photos by Shöne Foto, James Placinto, and Facebook images.
