Batavia planners OK tattoo business in downtown

BATAVIA – Richard Nelson made a good impression on the Batavia Plan Commission as he sought approval for a permit to operate a downtown tattoo shop.

Planners on Oct. 2 approved Nelson’s request for a conditional use permit for a tattoo and piercing business in the building he is leasing at 127 State St.

Nelson is preparing to open Classic Tattoo in the 1,700-square-foot space that formerly housed Domino’s Pizza.

He eventually hopes to operate three tattooing stations and one piercing station in his business, serving both clients with appointments and walk-in customers.

Nelson is a Batavia resident and worked for many years at A Thin Line Tattoo, 9 E. Wilson St.

“I hope to keep doing business in Batavia,” Nelson told the commission.

Planners acknowledged that times have changed and that tattooing is now recognized as an art form.

“Batavia is known as an arts community and body art is part of that,” commission member Susan Stark said.

Nelson has 27 years of experience as a tattoo artist, including work at shops in Chicago and Downers Grove.

The tattoo artist said he will offer both one-of-a-kind custom designs created for the individual customer, as well as “flash” tattoos, which are common images that can be selected from a book or poster.

Nelson said his shop will be open from noon to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Planners also heard Nelson describe his efforts to use his tattooing talents to raise money for suicide prevention programs.

A tattoo of the semicolon punctuation mark is recognized as a symbol of solidarity against suicide, depression and addiction.

Nelson said he will be inking semicolon tattoos for customers in December and donating the proceeds for suicide prevention.

Batavia Planning and Zoning Officer Joel Strassman told the commission that the city code will need to be amended by the Batavia City Council to allow for at least one more tattoo business in the central business district.

Currently, the code allows for two tattoo establishments in the downtown and there already are two such businesses just a few doors away from each other in the first block of East Wilson Street.

One of these is A Thin Line and the other is Bare Face Brows, located inside the Urban Style Salon & Spa, 3 E. Wilson St. Bare Face Brows offers microblading, a semi-permanent cosmetic makeup for the eyebrows. While technically not considered tattooing, businesses offering the microblading technique are grouped with tattoo establishments under Illinois statute.

Commission member Joan Joseph initially questioned the need for a third tattoo business in the downtown, but after the microblading discussion, she ended up voting in favor of the permit along with Stark and the other members of the panel, including Gene Schneider, Sue Peterson, Tom Gosselin, Sara Harms and Chairman Tom LaLonde.

Strassman said the proposal will be heard next by the Batavia City Council, meeting as a committee of the whole Oct. 15.

Final approval by the full council could come as early as Oct. 21. Nelson said if that happens he will be ready to open for business almost immediately.