Tattoo business owners reportedly generate nearly $2.6 million dollars and licenses and fees per year. Now, they are losing money every day and don’t understand why they aren’t open like other businesses that deal with the body, such as nail and hair salons that were allowed to reopen Monday in much of Florida.
Bart and Pepper Andrews said they were excited to hear that some business could reopen, but disappointed when they found out they were not included.
The husband and wife are co-owners of Unify Tattoo, and right now they are worried about how they will pay the bills after being closed for months due to COVID-19.
The Andrews fear they are running out of time to survive.
“First and foremost, this is how we feed our family we have two babies at home to kids that are under the age of two,” Pepper Andrews said. “The bills keep coming in and its not cheap to operate a business.”
Selina Medina is also a tattoo artist and thinks it’s unfair for other nonessential businesses to open while leaving tattoo shops closed.
Medina, a regulatory project manager at World Famous Tattoo pigments and Ultimate Tattoo Supply, wants to know why they can’t reopen when they have some of the highest standards for sanitation.
“The reason why I feel it is discriminatory is because we were closed at the same time all personal care services were closed at the same time,” Medina said.
Medina and the Andrews are hoping Gov. Ron DeSantis will hear their plea. It’s the same plea that more than 9,000 tattoo artists are making in Florida.
There have been petitions started by tattoo artists in the state. They don’t know how much longer they can keep their business open if they don’t get some assistance.
“We should be open,” Bart Andrews said. “We should be open. We try to set the bar for everything.”