Artist Opens Tattoo Shop In Ridgefield

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Chelsea Stowers opened C. Rose Ink in Ridgefield in July.

Stowers started the shop to make it closer to her family. Her previous experience includes working at a Salem tattoo shop.

“I love Ridgefield and I walk there frequently as far as the trails and things like that,” Stowers, who has lived in Amboy since 2018, said. “I thought it’d be really cool to set up here.”

Stowers got inspired by a friend who was a skilled tattoo artist to pursue a career as stylist.

“I’ve been doing fine art for over 25 years,” she said. “I had the opportunity to go to Hawaii and watch my brother do some tattooing. He’s been a tattoo artist for a couple years, and got me thinking ‘you know, it might be a good sort of thing for me to do,’ utilizing my art. I wasn’t really doing anything creative at the time and hadn’t been for a while.”

Before learning to tattoo, Stowers worked at PeaceHealth’s medical records division.

Stowers claimed that most of Stowers’ experience in fine art was related to illustrations. She initially wanted to be an animator but her teachers advised her to choose a different career path due to high burnout rates in the industry.

Stowers said C. Rose stands out from its competition because it’s woman, minority, and LGBTQ-owned.

“I just bring a wealth of experience to what it is I do. I absolutely love it,” Stowers said. “You’ll get that personalized touch. It’s very approachable.”

Stowers explained that they want the shop to feel like an art studio and not be too loud or incongruent with others. C. Rose has received positive reviews from customers about both their studio and the tattoos they have inked.

To numb sensitive customers, Stowers has lidocaine liquid available to help numb the tattooed area.

“If it gets a little intense, we stop and spray,” she said. “I try to make it as soft and easy as it can be, being stuck with needles.”

Stowers’s most ambitious tattoo to date is a five-piece, apple blossom design. It was done using a stippling method. It took her seven hours, she said. You can create various patterns, shapes and shading using small dots.