2008 Woodie Awards
West Chester offers tattoo parlors for students
Lindsay Banecker
Issue date: 11/5/07 Section: Features
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Flowers, hearts and naked girls. Just about anything can be drawn on your body for the right price. Tattooing has yet to go out of style, and with shows like Miami Ink and LA Ink more people are looking to get something meaningful put on them.
Students at West Chester University don't have to travel far to be "inked". Many have chosen tattoo shops in town to get what they desire.
X-Treme Ink and High Rollers are responsible for thousands of tattooed bodies every year. How many of them are students?
"About 30 to 40 percent of the people coming in are college students," Rich Bearden, the owner of X-Treme Ink on Gay Street, said.
Bearden has been tattooing for 12 years in West Chester. He specializes in free-hand custom work and portraits.
"I love doing sleeves and back pieces," he said.
Bearden has evolved to more intricate tattoos, usually doing three to four hour sittings with people.
Over at High Rollers on Market Street owner, Jay Riley tried to ballpark how many students come in every week.
"It varies by the season," Riley said. "West Chester is a walking town, we get at least 15 to 20 students in a week, but we've also had that many in a day."
High Rollers has been operating in town for 13 years.
Prices of tattoos are not clear-cut. Both shops have a starting price. At X-Treme Ink the minimum is $60 and for High Rollers it's $58.
Pricing depends on how large the tattoo is, where it's placed on the body, how much detail it has and how long it takes to draw on.
"Most small tattoos run about $100," said Bearden. On average customers will spend a couple hundred dollars per tattoo.
The tattoo fad has been in full strength since the 90s but many of those who have endured the needle do not like to think of themselves as trendsetters. The permanent-ink symbols usually possess more meaning to a person.
"I didn't get it to show off," Adrian Rubio, a fourth-year student, said. His tattoo of a word written in Tibetan script is placed on the under part of his upper left arm. The tattoo is so personal that Rubio doesn't share its meaning with many people.
Students at West Chester University don't have to travel far to be "inked". Many have chosen tattoo shops in town to get what they desire.
X-Treme Ink and High Rollers are responsible for thousands of tattooed bodies every year. How many of them are students?
"About 30 to 40 percent of the people coming in are college students," Rich Bearden, the owner of X-Treme Ink on Gay Street, said.
Bearden has been tattooing for 12 years in West Chester. He specializes in free-hand custom work and portraits.
"I love doing sleeves and back pieces," he said.
Bearden has evolved to more intricate tattoos, usually doing three to four hour sittings with people.
Over at High Rollers on Market Street owner, Jay Riley tried to ballpark how many students come in every week.
"It varies by the season," Riley said. "West Chester is a walking town, we get at least 15 to 20 students in a week, but we've also had that many in a day."
High Rollers has been operating in town for 13 years.
Prices of tattoos are not clear-cut. Both shops have a starting price. At X-Treme Ink the minimum is $60 and for High Rollers it's $58.
Pricing depends on how large the tattoo is, where it's placed on the body, how much detail it has and how long it takes to draw on.
"Most small tattoos run about $100," said Bearden. On average customers will spend a couple hundred dollars per tattoo.
The tattoo fad has been in full strength since the 90s but many of those who have endured the needle do not like to think of themselves as trendsetters. The permanent-ink symbols usually possess more meaning to a person.
"I didn't get it to show off," Adrian Rubio, a fourth-year student, said. His tattoo of a word written in Tibetan script is placed on the under part of his upper left arm. The tattoo is so personal that Rubio doesn't share its meaning with many people.
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