Haunted N.J. Tattoo Shop Featured On Travel Channel’s ‘Ghost Nation’ Show

When Sophia Wescott opens her tattoo studio every day, she all the time makes certain to say good morning to the solid of characters ready for her. There’s the whistling man, the little woman and the pranksters simply to call just a few.

However when she walks into her bizarrely embellished studio she says there is no such thing as a residing entity within the constructing to greet her again, solely spirits.

ZONE13 Tattoo and Body Piercing in Deptford is haunted, she claims. A lot in order that the Journey channel’s Ghost Nation paid a go to earlier this 12 months to research and filmed an episode about it. An area paranormal group, NJROPE, additionally has labored together with her over the previous two years to assist her perceive and coexist with the spirits she says she encounters virtually on daily basis.

“I all the time was a believer within the paranormal,” Wescott mentioned.

Sophia and her co-owner Dale Wescott bought the property in 2014 after it sat vacant for years. The unique residence was constructed within the early Nineteen Fifties the place a girl named Bertha lived till her household moved her out. The house was then bought to an architect in 2006 and he quickly moved a two-story constructing to the property and hooked up the 2 collectively.

He lived and labored within the addition whereas a landscaper labored out of the unique residence. The landscaper finally left and so did the architect when he couldn’t hire or promote the property as soon as his work was performed.

“He mentioned it was the quietest property he ever had,” Sophia mentioned when she contacted him to ask if he skilled any paranormal exercise.

Sophia and Dale have been searching for a brand new location for his or her rising enterprise once they found the three,200-square-foot constructing that sits off of Rt. 41 behind BJ’s Wholesale Membership simply down the street from a New Jersey Division of Transportation Upkeep Facility.

“Once we purchased this place it was quiet right here, it was great,” mentioned Sophia. She calls it her little hidden gem.

They began to listen to noises as soon as they started gutting the place in July of 2014. “We might begin to hear little issues like footsteps, however I might all the time attempt to debunk every thing.”

Sophia mentioned that when pals would come over to assist paint or clear they’d inform her it felt heavy once they went upstairs. Others would come down and really feel somewhat dizzy.

“We weren’t pondering ghosts on the time,” Sophia mentioned.

That was till Dale mentioned he started encountering paranormal exercise on the second ground that shook him to his core.

Whereas tearing up the carpet to put in hardwood flooring, he discovered a baby’s necklace after which quickly felt a hand go throughout his head. Dale recollects saying to himself “that didn’t simply occur” after which pondering “nevertheless it certain as hell did.”

“We’re gonna put it proper again the place I discovered it and name it a day,” Dale remembered saying. He put the necklace again and put in the flooring over it.

Dale claims to have seen somewhat woman in a white gown seem on the steps and observe him across the store.

“It looks like she’s on prime of you actually prefer it will get extraordinarily chilly. It’s virtually like she’s grabbing on to you,” he mentioned.

He’s discovered to disregard her and says that it may not be the perfect factor to do. He mentioned there’s nothing malevolent and admits the kid will get to him as a result of “children shouldn’t be caught between right here and the afterlife.”

Each Sophia and Dale mentioned at first they have been terrified when coming into a room on the second ground which it’s important to undergo to get to the kitchen and provide room.

“You couldn’t even stand up the steps with out feeling sick,” Sophia mentioned.

“It’s actually surreal as a result of we go up there and really feel a heaviness,” mentioned Dale, describing it like an anvil in your chest. “When you move past that and go into the kitchen it feels just like the strain of the room simply modifications, it’s calm.”

He has heard growling and laughter and mentioned he was scratched throughout his abdomen whereas upstairs. He mentioned twice he noticed what seemed to be a distorted baby strolling on its fingers and ft in a again stand place.

“I freaked out.”

However he mentioned what put him over the sting was the time when he heard footsteps coming down the steps from the second ground whereas he was doing electrical work by the entrance counter.

Whereas recounting the story, he mentioned he made a growling-laughing sound on the noise.

“Effectively it repeats it louder,” he mentioned with fun. “I’m like okay we stop now.”

They handled the exercise for about 4 years earlier than they invited NJROPE to return in and examine.

Throughout their investigations, director Frank Lazzaro mentioned they’ve skilled disembodied voices, have been touched, and have seen full-body apparitions so clear they may describe what it was carrying.

“I noticed a person with a white shirt strolling, a thin man carrying denims and white shirt,” Lazzaro described seeing whereas strolling the identical path the determine walked.

Within the basement of the unique home, Lazzaro mentioned they’ve heard banging noises and captured a feminine voice they imagine could be that of Bertha.

Based on Dan Webster, NJROPE co-director, whereas within the basement throughout an investigation he and one other member heard a whisper however couldn’t make out what was being mentioned till they listened to the recording.

“That’s after we heard what we name Bertha on the recorder yell very loud ‘I’m not shifting.’ We didn’t hear that reside. We heard the whisper,” mentioned Webster. Lazzaro believes that they discover her within the basement as a result of it was left untouched so “it’s acquainted with her, appears the identical. It’s snug, it’s away from individuals.”

Within the giant tattoo room, which is positioned on the primary ground of the added constructing, Sophia mentioned she typically sees shadows shifting or peeking round corners as she tattoos clients. She additionally claims clients have heard voices proper subsequent to their ears or had their ft tickled.

“Inform Dale to cease tickling my ft,” Sophia mentioned one buyer advised her whereas she was having the again of her arm tattooed. Sophia needed to clarify to her that he was within the different room.

The ghostly jokesters additionally appear to be interested in what individuals have of their pockets, significantly males.

“They mentioned it looks like someone’s making an attempt to take their pockets out of their again pocket or put one thing in it,” Sophia mentioned. This primarily occurs when they’re in a lay down place whereas getting tattooed.

They’ve additionally heard whistling at odd hours, together with as soon as at 3 a.m. when Sophia arrange a voice recorder to catch it.

“There was no one within the store, I’m glad I validated what I heard,” she mentioned.

Sophia mentioned that for a very long time they didn’t point out the exercise to clients as a result of they didn’t need to scare away enterprise however now lots of the clients are very in tune and settle for it. NJROPE’s go to has additionally made the spirits relax, she claims

The studio’s following and enterprise has been doing so effectively that ZONE13 Tattoo and Physique Piercing has gained the annual Better of Gloucester County contest for arts/artist the previous 4 years.

“Some persons are going to like it and need to come right here,” she mentioned. “However then you definitely’re going to get those which can be like, I’m not likely snug coming there.”