The Tattoo Garage opens shop in New Ellenton, fulfills long-time dream for owner

TAYLOR BELTZ, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·2 min read

Jun. 7—The Tattoo Garage has been a decade in the making for Chuck and Lena Morris.

"I've always wanted to open up a shop," Chuck, the owner, said.

The tattoo shop opened on May 29 with two artists in New Ellenton, right outside of Aiken.

"He's always wanted to open one for a really, really long time," Lena said. "So this is his dream."

The shop is still looking for one more experienced artist to join their team in order to keep up with clients' needs, Lena said.

The laws and permits required to open a tattoo shop in South Carolina made opening difficult for Chuck.

But he did not give up and continued to wait for his opportunity to rent the space, Lena said.

"It's just been really hard for him to open up one around here because 10 years ago, we tried and (the space) was BI-LO's, and they didn't really allow it," Lena said. "And you have to be like 1,000 feet from a church, a park, a daycare. So it was really hard trying to find a place."

Once KJ's took over where the BI-LO was, the space was available for Chuck to rent.

Since opening, Tattoo Garage has been welcomed by the community, with people stopping by and sharing how excited they are to have a tattoo shop in the area, Lena said.

"We've actually had a lot of support from New Ellenton because it's helping New Ellenton build up, bring more customers and people this way," Lena said. "Everybody's been really supportive."

The shop also wants to give back to the community in any way it can.

"We've had thoughts where we can do these little temporary tattoos for families," Lena said. "Even if we have to sit up a little booth outside to let your kids come because we want it to be family oriented."

Only adults over the age of 18 can enter the shop because that is the legal age to get a tattoo in South Carolina.

Right now, the artists at the Tattoo Garage are open to trying any style of tattooing, although they do still specialize in specific styles.

"We're not afraid to try anything," Chuck said. "I mean, that's as long as the client's open and they're ready to sit down and just try to knock it out the park and do the best that they can, the artists are willing to try."

The shop is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday at 611 Main St. N., New Ellenton.