Like any artist would, Grimes said it’s hard to nail down what he considers his favorite piece of the year, mostly because he works on so many. I do a lot of giveaways too, just to give back to the people and community.” “I do try to make my customers feel good and have a good experience so they come back and tell more people about my work.
“I don’t look at myself as being the best because I’m always looking to learn,” the tattoo artist from Blu Gorilla said. I couldn’t take a minute more.Brad Grimes said he doesn’t really think of himself as the best tattoo artist in Charleston, but he just made winning this award a three-peat, so what would you call him? I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.Īnd so, at 3:25 p.m., I made the decision: No tattoo, no story was worth waiting any longer. I was optimistic that this flight would improve my wait time, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could make it. When it became clear that the line was just not moving, people began to give up and leave. People were questioning whether a $13 tattoo was worth all this. I didn’t have to go - I just needed to get out of the sun.įatty’s had been providing us with water, but by 3 p.m., the cup supply had run dry. I asked a gentleman to hold my spot in line while I went to the bathroom. I tried to make conversation with those around me, but the sun was draining my energy. I could feel my face becoming increasingly sunburnt. “We’ll be in by 2 p.m.,” a woman in front of me cheerily told her friend. A beautiful sunset view, I was sure, but not very pleasant to stand in for hours. Plus, the front of Fatty’s was shaded, so we would be able to spread out more while we waited.īut time was not on my side, for as I rounded the corner at about 1 p.m., the sun had moved to shine directly on Fatty’s.
I could hold out for two more hours, I thought. People were fed! Spirits improved! And news came from the front (of the line) that in front of Fatty’s, the line to Blu Gorilla was single-file, which meant it would move quickly (behind Fatty’s, we were clumped into huddles in the shade). Luckily, many of my line-waiting compatriots had the bright idea to order food to be delivered from area restaurants. A food truck sat next to Fatty’s, shuttered tight, and though a rumor had swept the line that it would be opened by 11 a.m., no chef was in sight. The pace we had kept for the first two hours would not continue, it appeared. at the latest, go home to wrap up some work before the weekend, and have a great story to tell.īut then the line slowed down. I had expected to wait for three or four hours, so when I reached the shade alongside Fatty’s facility around noon, I figured we were right on schedule. Tattoos are permanent, after all, and I needed to make sure I would be happy with it forever.Īs I stood in line for the first hour, and then the second, the line crept slowly along, winding up Lemon Street toward Fatty’s Beer Works. I even printed out a version of the tattoo design and taped it to my arm to make sure I liked it. When I got my first tattoo five years ago - the chemical symbol for serotonin on my upper right forearm - I spent months thinking about it, talking about it, making sure it was the right decision. Custom tattoos are not allowed - customers choose from a “flash sheet,” a set of designs pre-selected by the tattoo parlor, in order to expedite the process.īlu Gorilla is actually offering $13, $31 and $66.60 tattoos today, with a mandatory tip of at least $7 (so a $13 tattoo actually costs $20.
It’s a tradition in the tattoo industry to offer $13 tattoos on any Friday the 13th, and Blu Gorilla tattoo is one of the Charleston establishments that upholds said tradition. I have three rules when it comes to tattoos:Īnd yet, here I am, hours away from getting a tattoo with only a vague idea of what will be etched on my skin. 13, and I was standing in line with a couple hundred people off Upper Meeting Street, waiting to get tattooed.
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