Tattoo parlor seeks zoning

Crystal Shreve and Julian McClain would like to see the Thoroughbred Tattoo Parlor become a reality for Aiken.

The two will go before Aiken City Council members on Monday, asking that zoning be designated in the City for the tattoo parlor. They also have plans to go before Aiken County Council to request the zoning.

"Right now, there is no property in the City where a tattoo parlor can be located; the same (is true) for the County," said City Manager Roger LeDuc.

According to LeDuc, if Council agrees to consider the designation, it would be sent to the City Planning Commission to determine an area to be zoned for the businesses. Once an area is chosen, the ordinance would be sent back to Aiken City Council members for final approval.

Aiken County Administrator Clay Killian said that because the County's zoning ordinance does not allow tattoo parlors, County Council members would have to vote to change the ordinance.

Three years ago, City Council denied an ordinance that would have allowed tattoo parlors to be permitted in the City's general business zone. The proposal would have allowed only the shops on major roadways with traffic volumes of more than 25,000 vehicles per day and restricted them from being located within 1,000 feet of a church, school or playground.

Aiken County's first tattoo parlor, Carolina Ink Tattooing, opened earlier this year in Windsor.

"We're trying to get them to see this as a modern issue so that it doesn't carry the issues of the past," Shreve said of their request. "We want to add to the artistic element that is already in the City."

She and McClain recently moved to Aiken from Tampa, Fla. They have owned several businesses in the past, including the franchise The T-Shirt Diner.

Shreve and McClain don't plan to do the tattoos. If the zoning is created, they will hire artists to work in the shop.

In a business proposal submitted along with the petition, Shreve and McClain said the tattoo parlor will fulfill a need of the community for a local, in-house tattoo establishment so that residents do not have to travel for the service. Shreve said Aiken is losing a large amount of the revenue from the tattoo industry to Augusta.

"It's a major source of income that we're losing daily," she said.

They said tattooing is no longer a public health and safety concern because of legal requirements for tattoo artists. Shreve and McClain also aim to eliminate the negative stereotypes or morality concerns associated with tattoo shops.

"Tattoos are no longer the anti-establishment marks of society's rebels but have found a place on the respective bodies of all walks of society, of all age demographics and socioeconomic status, thus making the industry one of high economic yield and mass appeal," read the proposal.

Aiken City Council members will meet Monday on the second floor of the Aiken Municipal Building, 214 Park Ave. S.W., at 7 p.m.

Contact April Bailey at abailey@aikenstandard.com.