in the Art District on Santa Fe 21 years ago, was another artist who emerged in the ’90s with a desire to change the tattoo environment, though he certainly respects its history. His shop has a different feel from DCTC’s vintage vibe. Oldies play over the speakers, muted TVs show various programs, and artists perch on velvet cushioned seats while they design new work. Slaughter smudges the space every day with sage.
When he met Romano, “I was a little scared,” he admits. “But we hung out and got along really well.” In fact, Romano offered Slaughter a job at any of the Tat-2 Association shops in Phoenix, New York or Denver. Slaughter and Cardenas were among the artists working to change that. “It’s not like back in the day, where you didn’t mess around with tattoo shops or you’d get your ass kicked,” Slaughter explains. Now the clientele has shifted to everyone from doctors to priests to celebrities: Slaughter says he has tattooed most of the Denver Nuggets players.
That doesn’t mean it can’t be improved, however. In December, Cardenas spoke of the importance of respect in the industry, including giving existing shops a heads-up before moving your own shop in down the street. “Those types of things are really lost in this coming age,” she said. “Part of integrity is about knowing where you fall in it all and having a good understanding of who all is around you.
Still, she noted, full inclusivity also allowed more traditional, macho parlors — what she called “good ol’ boy shops” — to stay around, even if some industry newcomers dislike them. “Maybe it’s because I’m almost fifty, but it doesn’t bother me, because people need what they need from tattoo shops,” she said. “Magic happens in those studios, too.”The Wolf Den just opened on East Colfax Avenue
That was mild compared to Cardenas’s recollection of being beaten with a pistol and having her shop shot up in the ’90s, or Schaefer and Pew describing how Kott’s shop was burned to the ground by competitors. But to Rose, the actions still signaled that changes had to be made. When Rose got the job, McLeod said the responsibilities would be managing the shop, hiring artists and taking over day-to-day operations. But soon McLeod cut off communication and would often speak to Rose through an assistant, “who always seemed to be scared,” Rose remembers.
After McLeod lost All Heart, Cardenas briefly expanded her shop into the space before opening Sol Tribe on Broadway. According to Rose, McLeod had said that he’d tried to do business with Cardenas in the past and she’d turned him down. It had enraged him, and he remained furious.