Myrtle Beach tattoo parlors ready for economy to improve

When the tattoo laws in South Carolina were changed in 2006, the parlors about to open in Myrtle Beach thought they'd make a killing.

A mid-size city with a massive flock of tourists generally means good things for the industry. Now, however, tattoo artists are waiting for the economy to get better and the weather to turn so they can return to those busy days.

"For us to be dying, that's crazy," said Jason Dillow, an artist at Dr. Ink Tattoo. "People always want tattoos. It's been hard lately. You're just hoping to be able to breathe that sigh of relief."

The parlors have all taken their own approach to advertising to make it through the winter and the recession. Some went heavy with print and radio ads; others passed out fliers at bar and restaurant events.

All of them, though, try to put their best sales pitches on the skin they are working on at the moment.

"The tattoos in themselves are advertising," said Elite Ink Tattoo artist Kylee Hewitt. "People always ask 'Where did you get that tattoo?' Your work always speaks for itself."

Elite Ink Tattoos has relied on word of mouth, awards and an active Web site to get through the lagging economy, co-owner Diana Garon said.

"It really hasn't affected us a bit," she said. "We have a great following of locals. We actually do pretty good."

Word of mouth is important; but this past year proved it's not enough for some. It has left the venues looking for something to set themselves apart.

Body Art Ink became the first tattoo parlor in Myrtle Beach in more than four decades when it opened in 2006. Others quickly followed.

But between zoning laws and parental consent needed for young teens to get inked, the tattoo parlors didn't think they were getting a fair shake. They are mostly zoned together on Seaboard Street, and banned from the tourist-heavy Ocean Boulevard. Tattoo places also are allowed in the city's medical district at 82nd Avenue North, though none operate there, city spokesman Mark Kruea said.

So while locals and tourists know exactly where the shops are along Seaboard Street, there is little to differentiate those operating there.

For example, anybody interested in getting anything from the relatively simple barbed-wire arm band to the most intricate of design may hear a radio spot and decide to head down to the parlor. But by the time they get to Seaboard, he or she may forget which business the ad was for and stroll into another. When business is flowing, that has little effect. But now, during tough times, it does.

Add in parental consent - state laws require 18, 19 and 20-year olds to have a parent or legal guardian with them - and the proverbial tourist herd is further thinned.

"It kind of feels like they pushed us into a corner," Dillow said. "The zoning laws, the 21 laws, that proves they really don't want us here. We can't be within a certain distance of a school. They treat us like we're a strip club or selling drugs."

The city identified certain areas where tattoo places would fit, including the light industrial area of Seaboard Street, Kruea said.

"The idea behind zoning is to make sure uses are compatible," Kruea said.

The local and statewide laws aren't likely to change much. The studios saw that coming.

What they couldn't have predicted was the elimination of the May bike rallies, as well as the lesser, yet still dedicated, rallies in the fall and late winter. During those events in the past, Dillow said Dr. Ink would bring in up to four more artists to help with demand.

"They [the artists] wouldn't be able to get up, go to the bathroom, get a bite to eat, nothing," Dillow said. "They were going nonstop."

Without those types of weeks floating the slow periods, the parlors began looking for alternative methods.

Dr. Ink started advertising its free limo rides for people with appointments to get ink done.

Karma Tattoo is open seven days a week, and the staff will stay until the last artwork of the night is finished.

And for the shops that didn't already have an established piercing studio in place, they've tried to open up that avenue for business, as well.

Ink and piercings often go hand in hand.

Of course, Elite Piercing, at the corner of Robert M. Grissom Parkway and U.S. 501, is also biding its time to get into the tourist season.

Elite is advertised as South Carolina's first legal piercing studio, but the shop, like the tattoo parlors, has been waiting for the warm-weather tourists.

It's left the tattoo and piercing parlors hoping for the best. But some of them also realize that this time next year, the line of shops on Seaboard dedicated to the industry may be even smaller.

"The way it is now, I don't think it will last," Dillow said. "At one point, there was enough business to [go around]."

Staff reporter Dawn Bryant contributed to this report.