July 14, 2025
Atlanta’s code enforcement says the tattoo store violates a ordinance that wasn’t round till years after it opened.
A preferred tattoo store fights to remain open and keep its place in Atlanta’s arts and cultural scene.
Metropolis of Ink first opened within the metropolis’s Castleberry Hill neighborhood in 2006. On the time, its co-founder hoped to show an deserted house into a spot fueled by artwork.
“It was all deserted on the time, so we mentioned we’d get the store open, we’d promote artwork, and add tattooing to the method. That was quick cash,” Miya Bailey mentioned.
Over time, the store advanced right into a cultural staple, resulting in artwork galleries, inventive occasions, and extra. It additionally turned a logo of Atlanta, particularly on its Westside, even showing in well-liked music movies throughout the rise of town’s entice music scene.
Now, a code violation threatens its future, leaving its destiny within the arms of the group it has served.
The Metropolis of Atlanta’s Code Enforcement halted operations on the store in April, issuing a stop-work order immediately at its door. It says that Metropolis of Ink violates an ordinance handed in 2008, which forbids tattoo retailers from working inside a sure proximity to one another.
The short-term closure instantly shocked the house owners and the Westside group, as Metropolis of Ink has grown into greater than the typical tattoo parlor. Its house owners argue that the tattoo store predates the ordinance in query. Given this, they need to be exempted from this burdensome rule.
“I’m working like I’m grandfathered in. So I by no means thought we’d have an issue with that since we had been there earlier than the ordinance,” continued Bailey. “I imagine within the mayor and him conserving his phrase. He mentioned he’s going to work it out.”
Supporters of the tattoo store additionally imagine that the legislation could hurt town’s cultural material. Plushette Ellis, Castleberry Hill Financial Enterprise Growth Chair, believes that the shutdown may have extra penalties that bleed into the group.
“I believe at stake is erasing the historical past and tradition of Atlanta by means of the lens of gentrification,” Ellis mentioned. “But in addition we must be investing in arts and tradition. That’s Atlanta.”
Forcing the closure of the tattoo store would additionally outcome within the lack of a Black-owned enterprise within the space. Atlanta has already made important strides in growing various entrepreneurship.
Whereas a 2025 report by LendingTree lists Atlanta as having the best share of Black-owned companies within the nation, these corporations usually wrestle with first-year success and acquiring loans, making the longevity and recognition of this tattoo store much more notable.
A listening to will happen July 17, however Bailey believes the mission is greater than physique artwork.
“It’s not about tattoos,” he added. “It’s about group…it’s about legacy…it’s about tradition…it’s about using individuals and conserving jobs in Atlanta.”
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