The excitement of tattoo needles and small discuss is noticeably absent inside Yant Tattoo Studio in Forest Hills. All of the furnishings and gear are additionally lacking.
Two weeks in the past, the homeowners and artists packed every part up after discovering themselves inside what Governor Andrew Cuomo deemed an orange zone, an space simply outdoors a cluster of coronavirus circumstances.
“All the private care on this space needed to shut down, so we needed to transfer very quick,” mentioned Package Keys, one of many enterprise companions behind the tattoo store.
Keys mentioned relocating was their solely possibility. Whereas the transfer to a pop-up store in Chinatown is simply non permanent, Keys mentioned their enterprise mannequin places them in a singular place. In the event that they closed solely, they wouldn’t simply lose the cash they’d make on tattoos. They’d additionally need to repay shoppers the deposits they supply earlier than their precise appointment.
“Within the three months through the massive shutdown, we needed to pay again deposits to the shoppers, near $10,000. That is an enormous quantity,” Keys mentioned.
However remaining open at this non permanent location, the enterprise nonetheless will not make a revenue, and even break even. Keys mentioned they’ve misplaced shoppers who’re fearful about touring from Queens into Manhattan, and so they’re additionally on the hook for hire in each Chinatown and Forest Hills.
“In the mean time, we’re scrambling between each locations as a result of we’ve got to pay hire, which value the identical as right here. So it is like we’re paying double now, and we do not generate double,” Keys mentioned.
Whereas the tattoo parlor has moved into the yellow zone from an orange zone, they aren’t fairly positive precisely when they’ll return. They wish to do it as quickly as potential, however they’re attempting to return to an settlement with the artists as a result of they’ve already made appointments with shoppers for his or her non permanent location, and so they don’t wish to confuse prospects.
