Albany County is celebrating legislation to support tattoo shops.
The new local law modernizes the county's tattoo code. In addition to reducing fees, it allows shops to have open floor plans, keep digital records, and no longer requires sinks at each workstation.
Speaking outside Modern Body Art in Albany Wednesday, County Executive Dan McCoy says it’s meant to support small businesses.
“They're always giving back to the community, getting involved, raising money for different charities, helping people out in the community, helping people find their first job, helping them when they're down, or just being there to listen,” McCoy said.
The legislation also legalizes tattoo conventions. The Dead Man's Hand Tattoo Expo is coming to the Albany Capital Center October 25th through 27th.
County Legislature Deputy Chair Wanda Willingham, a fellow Democrat, says it’s important to keep people shopping locally.
“I grew up in Albany, just down the street here, and one of the things that we want is some reinvestment in this city. And the best thing that could happen is that we would have a tattoo convention here,” Willingham said.
County Legislator Sam Fein, whose 6th District includes Modern Body Art, proposed the legislation. He says while he doesn’t have any body art, he’s thinking about it now, and he has an idea for his first: the Liberty Bell.
“My grandfather would tell a story about how the crack represents that the promise of liberty for all in America is broken and not expanded to all, and we should all work to mend that crack and expand liberty and justice to all people in America,” Fein said.
Jeff Raiano, who runs Recluse Studio in Caroga Lake, is organizing the expo. He says he started the original version in Schenectady County in 2021 as a way to bring artists together, and realized he wanted to bring it to Albany, so he approached Fein hoping to make it possible.
“He was very, very excited about the idea, and he gave me, he definitely gave me the support, and was able to make sure that I take the necessary steps when approaching the health department and make sure that we collaborate with the industry and to make sure that public health was taken care of,” Raiano said.
If you’re interested in becoming a tattoo artist, though, Raiano says it’s not as simple as grabbing a tattoo gun and ink and putting it to skin.
“You have to apprentice under a reputable tattoo artist, and if he is a good teacher, he's keeping you on a short leash, making sure that you don't get in over your head, making sure that you gain confidence and tighten up your skills as you go,” Raiano said.
In order to do that, he says people should hang around shops and practice, so they can show a strong portfolio to their potential teachers.
“Ideally, you're going to someone that has a really strong reputation and a style that you like, and they obviously see something in you. And then, when you're ready to tattoo, they've got a clientele, and their clientele has confidence in that artist,” Raiano said.
Also running at the Capital Center at the same time as the tattoo expo will be the Capital TerrorFest.
“Horror geeks walking around in costumes, makeup, zombies, werewolves. There's going be a Halloween party that Saturday night, we're doing stand-up, live music. There's a single elimination tattoo tournament,” Raiano said.
