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In Tampa Bay's tattoo mecca, Ybor City, skin is always in

 
Esben Lincoln Rey of Bloodline Tattoo works on Ann Marie Barlow’s arm sleeve.
Esben Lincoln Rey of Bloodline Tattoo works on Ann Marie Barlow’s arm sleeve.
Published Sept. 11, 2014

Bloodline Tattoo

Esben Lincoln Rey, 35, said it's been years since Tampa had a major, national tattoo convention and he worked with organizer Villain Arts to change that. "The other convention relocated to Bradenton but kept the Tampa name," Rey said. "We think there is market for it here." Rey, who has been tattooing for 17 years, opened Bloodline one year ago, in the location of the first tattoo shop in Ybor City. His partner is Aaron "Is" Michalowski, who will be tattooing at the convention and currently is featured on Season 5 of Spike TV's Ink Masters. Four artists take appointments and walk-ins and primarily focus on custom pieces. "It's awkward enough wearing the same shirt as someone else. Imagine being at the beach and someone has the same tattoo, which you can't take off," Rey said. 1411 E Seventh Ave. (813) 242-4666, facebook.com/bloodlineybor.

Ybor City Tattoo Collective

Skip Sampson's Ybor City Tattoo Collective accounts for three of the nine shops on Seventh Avenue, a huge market foothold. Cliff Shepard, who has spent two of his nine years tattooing at Old 7th Avenue Tattoo, said that his shop does a lot of traditional tattoos, and lots of Sailor Jerry flash decorates the front windows. "There was a point where everyone was coming in with flash printed from the Internet so that now traditional flash is more rare," he said. Blue Devil, a long time Ybor City staple, has closed temporarily as it prepares to move to a new location. The artists have been divided between Old 7th and Sampson's third shop, 1603 Tattoo. When a new building next to the Bricks is finished renovating, 1603 will move and Blue Devil will occupy its space on Seventh Avenue. "That new shop will be more for appointments only," Shepard said. 1603 Tattoo: 1603 E Seventh Ave; (813) 248-9153, 1603tattoo.com. Old 7th Avenue Tattoo: 1514 E Seventh Ave.; (813) 443-0877, 7thavetattoo.com.

Tabernacle Tattoos

Tabernacle Tattoos is in Ybor City, but you won't stumble across it on your walk back to your car from a night out. Tucked back on Fourth Avenue in a remodeled bungalow house, Zenon Pawelski opened the shop two years ago precisely to be close to, but away from, all the action. "For people who do their research, we're easy to find on the Internet," Pawelski said. He generally works alone and has some guest artists visit the parlor. His 14 years of experience helped him polish his Japanese and American traditional tattoos, but his favorite by far is cover-up work. "There are some very good tattooers in Tampa," Pawleski said. "But these TV shows have other people calling themselves tattooers thinking it's easy and really not respecting the craft." The meaning behind the name Tabernacle is a state secret, he says, but for those who know the meaning of the word, a lot can be inferred. "Nobody should work on Sunday, so I don't," he laughed. 1829 E Fourth Ave. (813) 248-3223, tabernacletattoo.com.

Las Vegas Tattoos

Twelve years ago, Tony "Doc Dog" Baker, 67, was ready to retire from his Las Vegas shop to a country home in Texas. Fate would have him instead take over a shop on Seventh Avenue and bring his experience and love of traditional Japanese tattoos with him. "We really try and give the people what they want here," Baker said. "And our customer service just can't be matched." Baker will be one of three guests of honor at the Tampa Tattoo Arts Convention this weekend, an honor he appreciates. "I think they chose me because I've been around so long. I've been tattooing for 53 years," he said. 1829 E Seventh Ave. (813) 248-3004, ­tattoounderground.net.

Atomic Tattoos

Furthering their quest for world domination, tattoo parlor chain Atomic Tattoos moved into the former home of Blue Devil, claiming a space on the coveted Ybor strip. "Everyone knows that if you want to get tattooed you can come to Ybor," said Mikey Wells, 31, the shop's operating manager and piercer. To cater to that crowd, Atomic offers a huge selection of Tampa- and Ybor-specific tattoos at low prices. Drawing big names and attention, Atomic's large staff (eight full-time artists) and bright and welcoming signage draws in passersby and loyalists alike. "We tattood some of the (Tampa Bay) Rays players here and we try and make it fun atmosphere," Wells said. 1712 E Seventh Ave. (813) 248-8288, ­atomictattoos.com.

Ybor City Tattoo Company

The jokers at the obviously named Ybor City Tattoo Company assure that they specialize in "being awesome," said Ari Pimsler, 27, the shop manager and piercer. After four years competing on Seventh Avenue, the shop's six artists say you can't beat the silly atmosphere and custom work. The most experienced artist on staff, Ed-e, has been in the business for 21 years and has trained several of the other staffers. What they lack in name creativity, they compensate in sheer fun times and swag — currently available are beer coozies with the shop's name printed on it. "The name comes from a simple place," Pimsler laughed. "We weren't really shooting for subtlety there." 1730 E Seventh Ave. (813) 443-0706, yborcitytattoocompany.com.

Bay City Tattoos

Jeffrey Ziozios, 47, took over Phat Katz Tattoos two years ago and re-christened it Bay City after his two homes: Bay City, Mich., and the Tampa Bay area. He loves his location right next to Centro Ybor because he never knows who is going to walk in the door and what they'll request. He once did 30 tattoos in a day for group of sorority sisters. The 16-year veteran artist likes to do Asian-inspired work but says his shop specializes in bringing the best version of what the customer asks for to life. "You can't get a bad tattoo in Ybor, so you've got to set yourself apart with service," Ziozios said. 1632 E Seventh Ave. (813) 248-1100, baycitytattoos.com.