Page 25 - Robeson Living Spring 2019

held and said that each artist is required to have a tattoo cordingly, and it’s important for people to realize a tattoo
license that is certified by the county and renewed yearly. is not replaceable like an article of clothing, so the piece
The county health inspector reviews each artist’s station should be treated as an investment. Fair pricing for premi-
to check that the proper supplies are being used and that um quality work ensures that the customers leave satisfied
each artist is following the appropriate procedures in re- with the final product, which would leave customers eager
gards to the county’s guidelines for sterilization. Each day, to encourage others to have their tattoos or piercings done at
the counter staff follows a cleaning schedule of their own, Evolution Ink. Word of mouth advertising has proven suc-
taking approximately half an hour to clean prior to open- cessful in bringing back repeat customers and drawing in
ing the shop, doing the same at night, and also cleaning new patrons as well.
throughout the day. The parking lot is monitored hourly,
and there is a checklist that must be completed by the In addition to the benefits the word of mouth advertising
staff member who inspects and cleans the restrooms, done provides, there are various promotions that span the calen-
hourly as well. dar year. The shop’s main event is the ‘EvolutionInk Tattoo
Convention,’ now planned to become an annual affair due
While the family friendly setting and meticulous cleaning to how “extremely successful” last year’s convention was.
habits are a crucial part of what makes the shop so popular, The artists and staff usually choose not to travel to other
it’s the creativity and talent of the artists that have helped conventions in order to tend to the “tremendous customer
transform Evolution Ink into the award winning business base” around home. This year’s convention will be April
that it is today, and there are plenty of plaques on the walls 12 - 14, 2019; Brown said the event will have food trucks, a
to attest to this. The shop has won “Best Place to get a live band, and radio coverage from local stations Q98 (98.1
Tattoo or Piercing” in Fayetteville from 2014 - 2018 and FM) and Rock 103 (103.5 FM).
“Best of Robeson County” multiple times as well.
Because the 2018 convention was so successful, Brown de-
Brown holds his staff to high standards, as there are no cided it would be advantageous for the business to come up
drugs, no alcohol, and no profanity while the artists and with more ways to offer discounts to customers. The initial
piercers are at work. He implements regular drug testing to concept was that of a “Payday Celebration” which would
be sure these rules are followed, but being under the influ- fall on the government pay schedules - the 1st and 15th of
ence of anything while working is already understood by the month - and would have discounts and “swag bags.”
the artists and piercers to be unethical and unsafe; because These “swag bags” could contain items such as an Evolu-
the artists are so serious about the quality of work they tion Ink t-shirt, sticker, decal, water bottle, or additional
produce, the drug testing is a non issue as they all strive to discount certificates that can be used for future transactions.
be as professional as possible out of respect to the client, Brown said the bi-weekly “Payday Celebrations” soon be-
and respect for themselves. Brown said that the artists and came themed events depending on the time of year: for ex-
piercers all work well together. They are all “very talented, ample, a “New Year’s Celebration” in January, or a “Big
with good attitudes and good character,” he said. Game Celebration” in February. The items in the “swag
bags” may vary, but the consistent part of each “celebra-
All artists and piercers are listed on the shop’s website, tion” is that every tattoo or piercing done that weekend will
evolutioninkstudio.com, each with a short bio and digi- be entered into a drawing; once the winning ticket is pulled
tal portfolio. There are 15 custom tattoo artists plus two at the end of that weekend’s “celebration,” possible prizes
associate artists. The associate artists come in from out for the winner could be gift cards to local restaurants or
of state to work at Evolution Ink for just a few weeks at movie theatres, or a certain dollar amount worth of custom
a time. The shop’s “master piercer” has two apprentices ink or piercings.
who are currently in training. Each tattoo artist prices their
work individually: either an hourly rate for larger pieces Brown decided the shop needed more promotions on the
that need to be done over multiple sessions, or a flat rate non payday weekends, so this is how the “Art for Life” idea
depending on the details of the design. The general price came to be. In similar fashion to the “Payday Celebrations,”
range of the shop is considered standard pricing for the each tattoo and piercing done during that weekend is en-
Fayetteville area, Brown said, and noted that overall it is tered into a drawing, but the difference is this winner will
a “good fair price for the quality of work you’re getting.” receive a pop art style painting created by resident tattoo
artist Elton Skye. The subjects of these pop art paintings
Though it doesn’t happen often, price haggling from po- would be recognizable figures from past or present popular
tential clients has occasionally posed a problem for the culture. Previous subjects have included Elvis and Marilyn
staff. He noted that Evolution Ink is a “premium shop” Monroe; a brightly colored rendering of The Walking Dead
with “premium work” being done, so prices are set ac- character “Rick Grimes” (portrayed by actor Andrew Lin-

Robeson Living ~ Spring 2019 Page 25