Tattoos in Toughkenamon
05/08/2017 11:00AM ● By Richard Gaw
By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer
The airy, sun-lit studio was, in many ways, the perfect base of operations for Jen Anderson to begin her tattoo design business. And yet, it was never meant to be a permanent location.
After graduating from Penn State University in 2009 with a degree in fine arts – and after a one-year stopover with a well-known tattoo artist in Pottstown – Anderson began Jen Anderson Tattoos, LLC in Landenberg. There, she earned a reputation as a business owner who pursued tattooing as an art rather than just as a technician mass-applying ink to skin.
Gradually, however, Anderson wanted to expand her business. She shared her dilemma with Kelsey Carhart, the owner of Shear Satisfaction in Toughkenamon and a former classmate of Anderson's at Avon Grove High School, who recommended a new space adjacent to the hair salon.
Say goodbye, Landenberg and hello, Toughkenamon.
On March 1, Jen Anderson Tattoos, LLC set up shop in an intimate studio just off of Newark Road, minutes from Kennett Square.
“I was beginning to tattoo a lot more people that I did not know well enough,” she said from her new studio,. “I wanted to find my own space and call it my own.”
Save for the basic accoutrements of tattooing, there is very little resemblance of Anderson's new studio with that of a traditional tattoo parlor. The waiting area features soft lighting, comfortable furniture, mirrors and feminine-like paintings. Her work station is a tribute to cleanliness and health standards.
Most importantly, her work is done one client at a time, once a day. Personal sessions are by appointment only, which are often the end result of several consultations she has with a client to carefully review what he or she is looking for.
“I look at my work as a personal relationship between my client and me,” she said. “The door is always locked so that I may be able to put all of focus on my client. I limit myself to only one session a day, because I want it to be the best reflection of my work.
“I always tell people if they're going to get a tattoo at a shop where they're working all day, make sure your appointment is the first one of the day. By the end of the day, a tattoo artist can see the digression of his or her work.”
When she was in Landenberg, most of her clientele came through word-of-mouth or as referrals; in the short time she's been in Toughkenamon, “more people have begun to see my work, and therefore seek me out,” she said.
Anderson's new studio represents not just a new office, but the next rung of her professional career – part of a five-year plan, she calls it, with a mission to expand her studio while continuing to brand her name and image as that of a professional who offers her clients individual attention and the professionalism of a fine artist.
“I don't want this studio to feel like a hospital, and I also don't ant it to resemble a traditional tattoo shop. I want this to be a relaxing, safe space. I want it to become a place of calm and cool.”
Jen Anderson Tattoos is located at 1120 Newark Road, Suite 103, in Toughkenamon, next to the town center. To learn more about Jen Anderson, begin consultation or make an appointment, visit www.JenAndersonTattoos.com.
To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail [email protected].
Staff Writer
The airy, sun-lit studio was, in many ways, the perfect base of operations for Jen Anderson to begin her tattoo design business. And yet, it was never meant to be a permanent location.
After graduating from Penn State University in 2009 with a degree in fine arts – and after a one-year stopover with a well-known tattoo artist in Pottstown – Anderson began Jen Anderson Tattoos, LLC in Landenberg. There, she earned a reputation as a business owner who pursued tattooing as an art rather than just as a technician mass-applying ink to skin.
Gradually, however, Anderson wanted to expand her business. She shared her dilemma with Kelsey Carhart, the owner of Shear Satisfaction in Toughkenamon and a former classmate of Anderson's at Avon Grove High School, who recommended a new space adjacent to the hair salon.
Say goodbye, Landenberg and hello, Toughkenamon.
On March 1, Jen Anderson Tattoos, LLC set up shop in an intimate studio just off of Newark Road, minutes from Kennett Square.
“I was beginning to tattoo a lot more people that I did not know well enough,” she said from her new studio,. “I wanted to find my own space and call it my own.”
Save for the basic accoutrements of tattooing, there is very little resemblance of Anderson's new studio with that of a traditional tattoo parlor. The waiting area features soft lighting, comfortable furniture, mirrors and feminine-like paintings. Her work station is a tribute to cleanliness and health standards.
Most importantly, her work is done one client at a time, once a day. Personal sessions are by appointment only, which are often the end result of several consultations she has with a client to carefully review what he or she is looking for.
“I look at my work as a personal relationship between my client and me,” she said. “The door is always locked so that I may be able to put all of focus on my client. I limit myself to only one session a day, because I want it to be the best reflection of my work.
“I always tell people if they're going to get a tattoo at a shop where they're working all day, make sure your appointment is the first one of the day. By the end of the day, a tattoo artist can see the digression of his or her work.”
When she was in Landenberg, most of her clientele came through word-of-mouth or as referrals; in the short time she's been in Toughkenamon, “more people have begun to see my work, and therefore seek me out,” she said.
Anderson's new studio represents not just a new office, but the next rung of her professional career – part of a five-year plan, she calls it, with a mission to expand her studio while continuing to brand her name and image as that of a professional who offers her clients individual attention and the professionalism of a fine artist.
“I don't want this studio to feel like a hospital, and I also don't ant it to resemble a traditional tattoo shop. I want this to be a relaxing, safe space. I want it to become a place of calm and cool.”
Jen Anderson Tattoos is located at 1120 Newark Road, Suite 103, in Toughkenamon, next to the town center. To learn more about Jen Anderson, begin consultation or make an appointment, visit www.JenAndersonTattoos.com.
To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail [email protected].
