FIGHTING FOR ACCEPTANCE
Chris Oakley Carefully Inks A Tattoo On Desiree Hilderman’s Forearm At The Blacksmith Art Studio On Regina’s Halifax Street. The Studio Is Fighting Zoning Regulations To Try To Remain Open In Its Current Location.
A push to save an unauthorized tattoo business could open a wider swath of Regina to tattooists — including in residential areas.
Jesse MacDonald says he didn’t know that his business, Blacksmith Art Studio, wasn’t allowed under the city ’s zoning bylaw when an inspector stopped by in November 2016.
Then, as now, tattoo parlours are only permitted along major roads, in shopping centres, downtown and in industrial areas.
Blacksmith takes up the bottom floor of a house in a mixed part of the Heritage neighbourhood — something forbidden under existing regulations. One of MacDonald’s two artists, Jesse Exner, lives upstairs.
“We’re a healthy part of this neighbourhood,” said MacDonald. “I’ve lived here since 2007 and been part of the community.”
The house stands between a soup kitchen and a Kung Fu centre on Halifax Street. The area has long been a centre for creativity, with the Artful Dodger venue once located around the corner.
“Having a business that can operate viably based on the arts is valuable for the neighbourhood,” MacDonald added.
Exner said negotiations with the city have been an “adventure.” But the pair may be on the verge of getting results. Their application is set to come before the city’s planning commission on Wednesday.
Officials at city hall, though, aren’t calling for a one-off solution. Instead, the commission will look at a wholesale shift in the way Regina zones for tattoo studios.
Administration’s recommendation would see the studios put into the “personal service” category, allowing them to open in the same places as barbershops, estheticians and dry cleaners.
That would let tattooists ply their trade in all commercial areas, including small-scale local and neighbourhood zones. Most of those zones are scattered in central neighbourhoods such as Cathedral, Heritage, North Central, Rosemont-Mount Royal and the Central Park area. Under certain circumstances, artists could even run a residential tattoo business in their own homes.
Blacksmith wouldn’t fall into the residential category — it’s too large — but council could approve it as a discretionary use.
The city conducted a survey in which 80 per cent of respondents supported the changes. Administration pointed out that they’ve only received three service requests relating to tattooists in the past five years. Its report noted that public perceptions have evolved since the existing rules were written, back in 2001.
“Tattoos have become largely accepted as mainstream and establishments providing the service have become ubiquitous,” the submission said.
Exner said he’s noticed the same trend.
“It’s gotten more and more popular,” he said. “More and more people come up and say, ‘That is very beautiful artwork.’ It’s revered as artwork right now.”
He said staff at Blacksmith have tried to create a “family-oriented kind of feel,” where young patrons feel comfortable bringing their mom or dad. The decor recalls a cozy basement lounge, with taxidermied wild animals looking over a pool table.
According to the city’s survey, those who opposed the move raised concerns about traffic and health and safety. But Exner noted that the shop uses clean, disposable equipment and hospital-grade disinfectant. He stressed that Blacksmith sees far fewer clients on a daily basis than a hair salon.
“People will probably assume when you have a tattoo shop, you have walk-in traffic,” he said. “But we’re a private studio. We only do by-appointment bookings months in advance, and there’s very rarely more than four people here in a day.”
MacDonald feels like they’ve made a strong case for their place in the neighbourhood. Now it’s up to the commission and, ultimately, council.
“I really do feel like we’ve done our due diligence, making the application, going through the process,” he said. “It’s there. I hope that they don’t need us to sell it to them.”
We’re a healthy part of this neighbourhood. I’ve lived here since 2007 and been part of the community.