Everything about Black 13 is top notch! I read all the great reviews before I went (which is why I decided on getting my work done there), and they lived up to every expectation.
1) The Parlor - Amazing space. You know you're in a professional area as soon as you walk in the door. This is evident simply in their logo (clean, professional, understated, and classic). You can tell a lot of thought went into the space. Nice high ceilings (the exposed pipes/lighting give some great focal points to stare at while getting work done :) ). Tons of artwork line the walls (REAL artwork, not Flash), including some incredible (and incredibly large) spray-paint-on-canvas work from Marty. This place feels like an art gallery.
2) The Talent - You can tell from the website that all the guys there are amazingly talented. Ian White did my tattoo, and I am absolutely THRILLED with the result. I had some ideas about what I wanted and some reference material, and Ian knocked the final design out of the park. I couldn't have asked for a better representation of what I was looking for. The session itself was great - good music playing (didn't even have to break out my iPod), good conversation (Ian was very laid back and does not act like he is better than you - and I got that vibe from everyone there), and again, an AMAZING finished product. These guys are not ""tracers"", they are true artists. I feel like I should charge people just to look at my tattoo! Ryan and Steve were also working on pieces while i was there and the results of those were sick! And yes, there is a wait to get work done. I had to wait a few weeks for my appointment. But it was worth the wait and then some. There's a reason these guys are booked solid. They're the best in Nashville by far, and I'd venture to say the best in TN, possibly the best in the south, and maybe even the US. It's simply amazing that we have a shop of this caliber in Nashville.
3) The Business/Marketing/Ownership - You can tell that this place cares about their relationship with their customers and growing their business to be the best it can be. The website is first rate. They have a great presence on social networking sites (primarily Facebook and Twitter), showing they have an idea of how businesses need to operate in this current age. And their communication blew me away. Anytime I called, the person on the phone was really helpful and didn't sound like they were just trying to get me off the phone. I exchanged emails with Doy Gardner (one of the owners), trying to get my ideas across and schedule the appointment. Doy was incredibly responsive (to the point I was actually surprised at how prompt the responses were) and extremely helpful.
Stop looking around for a place to get your work done, and schedule an appointment now! I've had some work done at other places in Nashville, but any future work will be done at Black 13!
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