Black Coffin Tattoo has come again from the useless.
The St. Paul tattoo parlor was silent as a graveyard for 2 months — as a result of Gov. Tim Walz shutting down non-essential companies due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The parlors have been re-opened on June 1 — with a few of them bouncing again, and others closed with no plans to re-open.
Black Coffin has jumped again to life, even with all of the mandated hygiene guidelines. “It was scary for some time,” stated proprietor Garrett Rautio. “However now the telephone is ringing off the hook.”
Different retailers remained shuttered even 10 days after the re-opening date. “A whole lot of them have chosen to stay closed,” stated Marx Barry, proprietor of Rose of No Man’s Land in Woodbury, which is open.
A number of have been hit with an extra blow — rioting and protests following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman. Acme Tattoo in St. Paul remained boarded up on June 12, however proprietor Gabriel Bosquez stated enterprise has rebounded to regular ranges.
“Clients are anxious to return in. They’ve been ready a very long time,” stated Bosquez.
As could be anticipated from locations that poke needles into folks, the parlors are managed by hygiene fanatics.
Rose proprietor Barry stated tattoo retailers have all the time labored to stop blood-related illnesses – however not essentially airborne illnesses like coronavirus.
However they’ve tailored. They’ve added masks for purchasers and workers, put in Plexiglas dividers, and settle for prospects by appointment solely.
Black Coffin has added another innovation — contacting purchasers one week after they go away, to see if they’ve come down with any signs.
Proprietor Rautio additionally takes temperatures of his workers day-after-day, not solely the purchasers who arrive.
The retailers, and most different companies in Minnesota, have been closed March 27 by Walz’s stay-at-home order. Walz allowed the tattoo parlors to re-open on June 1 at 25 % capability.
Black Coffin was set to open then, however delayed the opening for one week due to the protests.
A number of the homeowners stated the shutdown order was unfair. “I see all the companies, with hundreds of individuals, open — Menards, Residence Depot, Goal — and so they shut us down,” stated Hung Nguyen, proprietor of Hung’s Tattoo Parlor in St. Paul.
“All of the little guys have been dying for 2 months, and the massive guys earn a living.”
However Andy Rowe stated he accepted the shutdown as essential. Rowe’s store, Port and Starboard Tattoo and Piercing in St. Paul, is so small that he was the one individual working final Wednesday.
“Tattoos usually are not important,” he stated. “They’re a luxurious merchandise.”
Black Coffin’s Rautio agreed. “We’re not curing most cancers. We’re drawing skulls.”
What has been the hardest adjustment to make?
“Not shaking palms,” stated Rose proprietor Barry.
He described the impulse that he now has to struggle day-after-day. “You meet folks, say hey, say goodbye, you shake their hand,” he stated. “You give me cash, I shake your hand.”
