Fire won’t stop tattoo business
Owners of a tattoo parlour burgled and burnt by thieves say they will rebuild with appointments booked until February.
Good Honest Tattoos in the Dinsdale Shopping Centre in Hamilton suffered major smoke and fire damage when a suspicious blaze was lit inside the premises early yesterday.
‘‘Hopefully we can set up somewhere else just for now until it gets rebuilt. Our books look like they will be okay so we’ll be able to contact everyone.’’
Owner Kathy Hodgson
Around 2.20am the tattooist in the block of shops on Whatawhata Rd was broken into, Waikato police Senior Sergeant Pete Simpson said.
A fire was then lit inside the store. Police guarded the scene overnight and yesterday morning fire investigator Peter Hallett and detectives could be seen working inside.
Owner Kathy Hodgson said her and partner Felipe Rapucci got a call at home in Te Awamutu saying there had been a break-in.
‘‘Security called us maybe about 2.20am.
‘‘It’s s*** but you can’t change it so we just have to get on with it.’’
The couple relocated the studio from Claudelands to the Dinsdale shopping centre in August 2017.
Four full time tattoo artists work out of the premises, along with two apprentices. Some of the artists were fully booked until February next year.
‘‘Hopefully we can set up somewhere else just for now until it gets rebuilt. Our books look like they will be okay so we’ll be able to contact everyone.’’
She said they hadn’t intended to open on Good Friday but were due to open today.
‘‘That won’t be happening.’’ The store was locked when staff left on Thursday. Hodgson was unsure if anything had been stolen from the store.
Tattoo equipment was stored in each artist’s trolley.
‘‘It’s usually a sweet area. I don’t know what they would have got from it which they can’t get online cheap.’’
Stench from the fire could be smelt from outside the store.
Inside, the counter and walls were left blackened from fire and smoke damage.
Fire and Emergency northern communications shift manager Daniel Nicholson said fire crews were called to a building fire in a block of six shops.
Brigades from Hamilton and Pukete were the first to respond.
The call went to a ‘‘second alarm’’, Nicholson said, requesting more resources from Hamilton, Chartwell and Te Awamutu.
‘‘Shortly after they were stood down as the fire was brought under control.’’
Police were investigating.