Google > Yelp, and How Much We Love You

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We love it when people leave us reviews on Yelp and Google. Truly. Sure, any business loves a good review, but for us it’s something a little more personal. When we sit down with a client, often multiple times (consults, then tattoos that require multiple sessions..), we get to know them a bit and they also get to know us. Getting a tattoo is by far a more personal and lengthy experience than say, going into a store and buying a product off the shelf and interacting with the cashier or floor salesperson. So when a person leaves us a review, good or bad, we take it to heart a bit more than other businesses might.

These days, we’re favoring Google over Yelp when it comes to customer reviews, and we’re trying to direct people there. Why? Because Yelp automatically filters 99% of our reviews, and in doing so, all of the kind words from our clients become hidden from us and the rest of the world. Plus, it’s unfair that our clients take the time to write about us, only for it to become filtered within a day or two! Here are a couple of our recent favorite reviews, now hiding behind Yelp’s filter (note: you can read filtered reviews by scrolling down to the bottom of our page and clicking the “# filtered” link).

“I am wicked glad I did NOT real the reviews before we went in! We had Steve, sure he is quiet but that allowed for my friend and I, getting matching tattoos, to chat! He was EXCELLENT at his job, which IS tattooing and not small talk and the front of store woman was spot on, polite, friendly and did her job excellently! My ex husband and I OWNED a tattoo shop and I think this one is lovely, clean, and in a great location!” -Gypsy

Gypsy also included this photo in her Yelp profile!:

“I recently got work done at witch city ink and I couldn’t be more satisfied! I was tattooed by Natan Alexander who did an amazing portrait of my son. The atmosphere of the shop was very serene and helped relax me before game time. By far the best parlor I’ve been to in New England. I’ll be going back real soon.” -Kyle

And those are just two of eighty-two filtered reviews! We’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating — we have the BEST clients.

So while we encourage you to leave us reviews over on Google rather than Yelp, we’d like to give a little thank you to for taking time out of your busy schedules to leave us kind words — if you leave or have left us a positive review, we would love to give you a t-shirt the next time you stop by the shop. Or hugs*. Giant ones.

*Hugs will be dispensed by Steve, the official Witch City Ink hug-giver.

In Progress from Natan

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Natan continues to have several works in progress. This is a positive thing. It means that many, many large pieces are happening, and multiple sessions means putting focus and care into the tattoo. Here are two recent first-session pieces.

This first one belongs to Paula. She’s known Natan for quite some time, so when she came in for her consult, she more or less told him what she wanted and where, with few guidelines, and left the rest up to him. On the day of her appointment, she was surprised that the drawing he had prepared was so large, and was a little nervous about having to sit for the entire outline! Most clients sit far better than they expect to, and Paula was no exception. By the end of the session, she earned a spot in our “champion” category. We can’t wait to see this piece progress, it’s already looking gorgeous!

Jessica is another lovely client that came to Natan with a handful of references and a whole lot of trust. She had been following his work online for years, and wasn’t at all hesitant about giving him creative license. She initially wanted a forearm piece that would also cover an existing small tattoo, but Natan’s ideas bloomed into something much bigger. Jessica came in, saw what he had prepared, and was excitedly on board. She walked out with a whole sleeve outlined, and all parties were thrilled with the results.

Natan currently has some openings for mid-May, so if anyone wants a later appointment bumped up, or wants to start something new, give us a call! 978.744.9393

More In Progress from Steve

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Steve continues to start quite a few new, large pieces.

This owl and hourglass on a young gentleman’s back is coming along nicely! This also happens to be his first tattoo. We’ve had a lot of clients recently with the “go big or go home” attitude, which is fun.

This next photo is after the second session of this back piece, which is based off of a piece of flash by Timmy Tatts. Steve asked Timmy for permission before using it, which is generally a good code of honor to abide by in the tattoo world. The girl it’s done on sits like a champ, too. All of the shading was done in the second session yesterday.



That’s all for now kids! Check back soon for more updates.

New Work from the S’s of the Shop

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No, we’re not being vulgar jerks with that title. The S’s of the shop are none other than Sharonn and Steve of course. These two continue to work their butts off, and are currently booked out for about 3 weeks, but a bit further than that for weekends (Saturday is a popular day for tattoos). If you’re one of the nine-to-fivers who can only be tattooed on a weekend day, please note that both Sharonn and Steve have Sundays off, Sharonn doesn’t have a Saturday available until mid-June, and Steve doesn’t have one until mid-May (although he has some smaller time slots that can accommodate shorter sessions).

Without further ado, here are a couple of pieces they’ve done recently.

Melanie came in wanting an antique bird cage on her back. The two birds escaping from it were actually drawn by her friend, and then transferred into tattoo-form by Sharonn.

Sharonn has also been working on this Green Man piece for a couple of sessions, and it is looking gorgeous! The Green Man image is actually seen in different cultures worldwide, and is typically viewed as a symbol of rebirth, or representing the cycle of growth each spring.

Remember the elephant outline that Steve was working on in our last post? It was pretty great with just the intricate black outline, but Steve finished it up with some color earlier in the week and it’s looking even better.

That’s it for today, kids! We’ll be closed tomorrow, Sunday the 8th, for Easter, but we’ll be back to business as usual on Monday.

Work in Progress by Steve

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Steve has been really busy with some exceptional works in progresses.  He had a gentlemen come in interested in having a zombie William Wallace tattoo – but not Mel Gibson’s William Wallace!  William Wallace was one of the main leaders in the Wars of Scottish Independence.  After some artistic magic, Steve created this piece in progress:

 

 

Steve is also working on an elephant.  He is doing color work on it today and there will be more pictures to follow.  The detail in this piece is really impressive!

 

 

We also wanted to show you a geisha piece Steve is working on.  Geishas are female Japanese entertainers from centuries old tradition with an air of mystery surrounding them.

 

 

Steve is booked out for next three weeks, so if you are interested in having him tattoo you, please call us so we can book your consultation at Witch City Ink – 978-744-9393!

New & Old from Steve

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Somehow, as Steve was going through his photos, he realized that we hadn’t posted a photo of this tiger tattoo from a while back. So here it is, a blast from the not-so-terribly-distant past!

More recently, Ken has become one of our favorite new clients. He originally came in to get a coverup of some initials on his neck with a crab, which is a pretty unique coverup choice, we must admit. Steve worked a bit of his artist-magic, and poof! Initials gone. Afterward, Ken came back to have Steve start a sleeve for him, full of more oceanic creatures. We’ll post pictures of it later on as it progresses.

Also done recently by Steve, was this massive dragon on a client’s calf. Despite having to sit for a while for the color session, the client was all smiles when it was finished.

Steve is currently booked about three weeks out, so if you want to be tattooed by him we recommend setting up a consult as soon as you’re able! 978.744.9393

Polynesian Tribal in Progress by PJ

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PJ recently begun this Polynesian tribal piece on a client. A client who is incredibly nice, but is a super tall state trooper who looks like he could destroy a person with a single finger. But, like we said, such a nice guy! He and PJ sat for a few hours to get this outline down. Unfortunately, we were out of gold-star stickers that day.

Seeking: Tattoo Artist, & Part-Time Shop Assistant

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We’re seeking two people to be a part of our shop, and Lightwave!

Firstly, Witch City Ink is searching for a tattoo artist with a minimum of 5 years experience along a solid portfolio that includes original artwork as well as custom tattoos. A positive attitude is also a must, as is being drug and drama free. Please note that we are NOT seeking apprentices.

Please submit letter of interest and a link to your portfolio to witchcityink@gmail.com.

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We are also looking for a competent, motivated, and reliable person for a part-time shop assistant position at Witch City Ink in Salem, MA and our sister shop, Lightwave Tattoo in Saugus, MA. Should be skilled/knowledgeable in web/computer/graphic design work, customer service, and general cleaning/organization. Familiarity with tattoos and art is a plus. Applicant MUST have access to a vehicle, as this position will be split between the Salem and Saugus shops.

Duties will include general shop maintenance/cleaning, website work/updates, appointment management, customer service, equipment sterilization, stencil making, and general office management.

Requisite skills: Mac OS X, Photoshop, WordPress/basic internet and html knowledge, social networking (utilizing facebook, twitter, etc.), strong customer relations, professional and business composition/typing.

Please submit resumes and cover letters to the above email address, or:

Witch City Ink
186-3 Essex St.
Salem, MA 01970

Squirrel by Sharonn

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I suppose if someone were to say the words “squirrel tattoo,” you would probably imagine something on the ridiculous side. But, Sharonn is the queen of all things whimsical, and this piece is just that. Along with colorful and let’s face it.. adorable. The client was fascinating, having such an affinity for the little creatures that she and her husband actually run a squirrel rescue organization. Unfortunately, they were unable to bring any baby squirrels by the shop, which might be a positive thing as we probably would have died from the cuteness.

While we have you, here’s a bit of shop news: We are officially back on our summer schedule, opening the shop at 11am and closing at 8pm. We always recommend making an appointment if you can, and lately our artists have been busier than ever. We are doing our best to accommodate walk-ins, but with the exception of a few open gaps in the schedule, all of our artists are booked out anywhere from one week to a month+ in advance. We welcome you to stop by and chat, email us at witchcityink@gmail.com, or give us a call at 978.744.9393 to set up your next tattoo!

Roses & Ribs by Steve

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This tattoo was done in two sessions, which is very common for large rib pieces. What is not so common, is for such a large tattoo in an unpleasant spot to be chosen for someone’s first. We were a little concerned, but this girl sat like a CHAMPION. She deserves about twenty high-fives along with a round of applause.