City of Ink Tattoos has been an Atlanta staple for nearly two decades. Its owner, Miya Bailey, set up shop in 2007 and has since created an iconic small business that has become a popular spot in the city's Castleberry Hill neighborhood.
Located in Southwest Atlanta, Castleberry Hill hasn't always had the best reputation. Before the Civil War, it was something of a red-light district filled with prostitutes and cockfighting. Eventually, it became an industrial area, but by the late 20th century, it was in a state of decline. However, over the last 30 or 40 years, old warehouse buildings were converted to lofts, and over the last decade or so, new businesses moved in, and the neighborhood became a safer, more desirable place to live and visit. It's even become a popular filming spot for everything from music videos to movies and TV shows like "The Walking Dead."
Today, it's a federally recognized historic district and an arts district where Atlanta residents can shop, eat, tour historic sites, and enjoy the creativity of local artists and business owners. Bailey and his tattoo shop play a big role in that, often funding and supporting many community events.
“City of Ink is originally an art gallery that happened to have a tattoo studio inside of it," he said in an interview. "We use that money from tattooing to fund a community center, to fund our curated art galleries."
In April of this year, after 18 years in business, an Atlanta code enforcement officer placed a "Stop Work" notice on City of Ink's door, citing an ordinance from 2008 that stated that tattoo shops could not operate in the neighborhood. Bailey and his staff of nine people were, of course, devastated, as was much of the community who has rallied around him. He says he's selling artwork to pay the rent, utilities, and insurance on the building until the decision is, hopefully, reversed.
Here's where things get a little murky. It turns out that Bailey actually supported the city council at the time and helped them create that ordinance, hoping to keep any competition from moving into Castleberry Hill. In a way, it's a case of play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Anytime you side with big government, even if it seems like a great idea at the time, it's going to come back and bite you in the backside. I was going to say, especially when the big government is filled with corrupt Atlanta Democrats, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what party they play for. Big gov is big gov.
It's also important to note that competition and the free market are good things.
"It’s not about tattoos," Bailey said. "It’s about community… it’s about legacy… it’s about culture… it’s about employing people and keeping jobs in Atlanta." He complained that the city seems to be handing out more and more citations to the people in the area lately, claiming that a 91-year-old woman received one for having her grass too tall and an 80-year-old man got in trouble for working on his own car.
He'll attend a hearing on July 17 to determine whether or not he can operate again. It sounds like he'll probably win the fight — he says he has the support of at least one councilperson — but you never know in these situations. Atlanta is set to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and if past events of that magnitude are any indication, the city's little guys typically lose. Bailey even believes that is one reason why the city is cracking down on people like him.
Despite his mistake of getting in bed with the city council, I still side with Bailey on this one, though, and wish him well. I just hope he understands how stupid the ordinance was in the first place. If he is truly for the neighborhood's sense of community, legacy, culture, and jobs, he'd be welcoming new businesses, not working with the government to shut them out. How the community operates should be in the hands of its citizens, not its bureaucrats. As for competition, City Ink is an iconic place that helped set the standard and define the vibe for the area. That should speak for itself.
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