Meet Tiffany Mitchell | Tattoo artist/ shop owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tiffany Mitchell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tiffany, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I was tattooing and working for other people, I noticed lots of missed opportunities for some ideas that would make the client’s visit more fun and the work environment to be accomidating to the artists, not to mention unique promotions. I didnt have any control of what the businesses did and could only do so much as an individual artist. I had lots of ideas and would often share them to help whoever I worked for. I was having people tell me that I’m giving away all my good ideas and should try to see if I could open my own shop and implement those ideas to help my own business. I also knew that my love of horror and Halloween was not unique as I often attended many year round conventions and events within the horror/Halloween theme, so imagined people with the same love of all things spooky would also enjoy coming into a spooky tattoo shop.

What should our readers know about your business?
I would think that something that sets my business apart from others is that most of the fun events or promotions we do are created democratically. I ask all the artists if they even want to participate and keep it open for additional input or reasons why we shouldn’t do something. I don’t want to just come in and announce we’re doing this , that or another thing without getting any input from the rest of the crew.
As an owner I also make sure that I actively participate in all day to day goings ons. I’m not above scrubbing toilets, answering phones, booking my artists and trying to make sure they make money. I want them to know that as an owner, I working just as hard or harder .
When we do special events , I try to make it a really great experience for our clients, not just offering crazy discount events but gathering uniquely fun items to give away during the events , like ouja boards, hoodies, gift certificates, spooky scented candles, and so much more plus curating horror movies to play, giving away popcorn, drinks or in winter Kettle corn, hot chocolate and candy canes. I also enjoy going all out in our display window for various holidays. I’m always trying to change it up to give our clients a great experience with great tattoos and something to remember us by.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Some of the fun or intetesting things to check out around town would be of course, our quaint downtown area, filled with history and it’s very own small town vibe . The street that Black Raven Tattoo is on has multiple amazing restaurants and depending on the time of year visiting, you may be lucky enough to experience some of the cool downtown events like Rock Around The Block in July. It’s like a walk back in time with classic cars, games and performances, or in October there’s a huge Scaredown in Downtown, a free , family friendly event put on by volunteers that has grown massive since it’s inception 7 years ago. December has a Holiday Stroll complete with snow, Victorial carolers, santa, The Grinch and so much more.
on any given day a 4.5 mile drive to the beach for fun in the sun, or a calm walk through the botanical gardens. My favorite thing is visiting the nearby locations used in many films and tv shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charlie’s Angels movie, Ed Wood with Johnny Depp or Bewitched with Nicole Kidman and so much more. once a month there is also an Antique Street Faire with vendors for blocks.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to shout out to my wife who encouraged me to look into the future and continued to motivate me even when I was ready to give up. I would also like to shout out to my many clients that also encouraged me and stuck with me for many years, wherever I went. I honestly feel I couldn’t have made it through the difficult times without them.
Lastly a shout out to my fellow downtown business owners who’s friendships and support helped me in so many ways.

Website: http://www. BlackRavenTattoo.com

Instagram: @BlackRavenTattooGallery

Yelp: Black Raven Tattoo

Youtube: Black Raven Tattoo

Image Credits
i took all the photos myself