Local tattoo artists cope with economy, increase in competition

Cape Fear Tattoo owner Dixon Broadfoot said one reason more people are getting into the tattoo business is they can obtain cheap equipment from China. Click to enlarge Lucky 7 Tattoo owner Brian Price (right) works on a tattoo for Michael Guderian. The large number of tattoo artists in the Wilmington area and the ability to obtain cheap tattoo equipment from suppliers on the Internet are contributing factors, they said. In New Hanover County, the number of tattoo artist permits issued by the county health department in the past several years grew from 48 in 2004 to 94 in 2009, with 79 permits issued so far from January 2010 through the middle of August, according to health department records. More people getting into the industry may be one reason why business is slow at Cape Fear Tattoo, said Dixon Broadfoot, owner of the tattoo and body piercing business at 1533 S. A tattoo at Cape Fear Tattoo costs at least $60, Dixon said, because it costs about $30 in sterile supplies, such as single-use needles, for an artist to prepare to do one tattoo. Tattoo artists are attracted to the Wilmington area, Payne said, because of its proximity to college students, people in the military and tourists visiting beaches, “a trifecta of people who want to get tattooed.” Having a tattoo fixed is more expensive than getting a good tattoo to start with, he said. Price makes and sells tattoo equipment and has a laser tattoo removal business as well as a glass-blowing studio. Cece Nunn: 343-2310 Avoid bad tats RESEARCH: Check an artist’s portfolio, recommends Dixon Broadfoot, owner of Cape Fear Tattoo, and Josh Payne, a tattoo artist at ArtFuel Inc.