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Straight Talk

By James Hettinger
Senior Advisor, Battle Creek Unlimited
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As economic and downtown developers face a constant challenge of refreshing and revitalizing their communities and their downtowns, rapidly changing markets and cultural circumstances often have a way of throwing new wrinkles in the community equations.

Recently, Battle Creek grappled with a zoning issue pertinent to the siting of a possible tattoo or body arts parlor in the downtown. The city eventually emerged with both a fair and tough ordinance, but groups involved in the process have come under fire from people who do not think downtowns are a fit location for tattoo parlors.

This traditional thinking was first questioned by economic development scholar Richard Florida in his seminal work, The Rise of the Creative Class. Florida wrote that if communities really wanted to share in the technology growth emerging in the so-called “New Economy,” they would have to embrace and develop nontraditional amenities and attitudes. Florida argued for open space, diversity, coffee shops and amenities reminiscent of the Bohemian era as means to attract the creative class.

Much of Florida’s work has been tempered by other urban development scholars who have refined much of the findings. Nonetheless, looking at revitalization efforts in America’s cities there is a clear trend of tattoo and body arts parlors moving into downtowns. And younger generations who think differently from fossils like me are clearly interested in such establishments.

In the ‘60s, a tattoo was something you got after spending a day drinking with your buddies or it was an anti-establishment statement from bikers, rock stars or other malcontents. Today, however, we speak less of tattoo parlors and more of body arts studios.

There is a qualitative difference as well. Tattoo parlors would revel in the urban outlaw image with bold statements or garish images. The body arts parlors are upscaled to look like beauty salons and you must make an appointment to receive services.

Body arts studios have taken aim at mainstream America. The sixth fastest growing retail establishment in the U.S. is the body arts studio or tattoo parlor. Amazingly, the single fastest growing market segment for body arts studios is suburban, middle-class women.

Confidence in body art has grown with advancing technology. Electric needle equipment, pigmentation and the serious attention of a committed artist add up to a motif more akin to a medical clinic than an old time tattoo parlor with drunken sailors spilling out into the street showing off their badges of camaraderie.

If you were in charge of revitalizing a downtown, would you embrace a rapidly growing retail establishment that is increasingly patronized by suburban, middle-class women and of great interest to an emerging class of young professionals? Most certainly you would.

Moreover, as the concept of body arts studios spreads, government will become much more active checking sanitation compliance and business licenses. Indeed, some of these emerging developments such as advanced technology and government regulation are contributing to the popularity of body arts studios.

This is just one of the changes marking America’s urban landscape. The cultural transformation of tattoos to body art has ignited growth in the industry with a whole new list of unexpected clientele, a clientele that just happens to have a very healthy impact on downtowns.

It took me some time to get adjusted to the concept in urban redevelopment. I have no tattoos, nor would I, but as a senior citizen, I am more traditional in my outlook.

So, if you see or hear your economic development practitioner talking about tattoo or body arts parlors in the downtown, please do not think they have taken leave of their senses. They are, in fact, trying to capitalize on new trends and new ways of attracting the right people to the community’s downtown.

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