While Olympia has many tattoo parlors, one stands out. Sorry Mom Ink is a women-owned, fully custom shop located in the heart of Olympia on State Street. Co-owners Alyssa and Gina Craig celebrated their business’s first anniversary on October 18. The shop’s staff is composed of Alyssa, Gina and two other tattoo artists, Kipp Roskom and Keoni Fontaine.
Before opening Sorry Mom Ink, Gina owned a children’s entertainment business and worked as a body painter for 14 years. Her business operated at birthday parties, carnivals, festivals and many other events that required travel. When Gina had her daughter, she wanted to be able to stay in one place. Some friends suggested that she try tattooing as a form of body art that would allow her to have a stable location. Following their suggestions, Gina studied tattooing under Sean Pipkin in Portland. “He is an amazing teacher. I give him so much credit, because he is about the art and not the money,” says Gina.
After finishing her studies, Gina moved on to work at Aardvark Tattoo in Portland. She met Alyssa, who was living in Olympia, through a mutual friend. They fell in love and Gina relocated to Olympia to continue her relationship with Alyssa. The couple began conceptualizing plans for opening their own tattoo parlor, deciding that they wanted to work for themselves and create a legacy. Gina briefly worked at Primeval Ink in Olympia until their plans for opening their own studio began to look like a reality.
Gina had experience from owning the children’s entertainment business, but she and Alyssa say they were lucky to have success in starting their business. As a vibrant, artistic town, Olympia is home to many tattoo parlors and they had concerns about standing out.
Being a women-owned tattoo parlor with high-quality work and a friendly, professional atmosphere has brought Sorry Mom Ink popularity and business. The shop has many regulars, including some customers who get tattooed at the shop once a month. Gina has two long-term clients who knew her from her days of body painting and sought out her shop to get tattooed. The owners consider the shop’s regulars to be a huge part of their community.
In March, Kipp Roskom joined Sorry Mom Ink’s team of tattoo artists. He moved to Olympia from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he completed his tattoo apprenticeship. Kipp says that ever since he was young, he has liked the aesthetics of tattoos, which inspired him to get involved in the industry.
Kipp’s process of designing tattoos for his clients is fairly standard for custom tattooing. He offers a consultation to talk about their ideas and identifies key points of the design. Kipp says he makes sure to factor in placement so he can create a design that will look good where it is placed on the client’s body. Then he sketches a couple of designs and checks in with the clients to ensure they like where the design process is going. From there, he formalizes a final design that he and the clients both approve.
When I visited Sorry Mom Ink, Gina was tattooing Sam, a client who had moved to Olympia from Arizona. When her mom offered to pay for a tattoo for her birthday, Sam brought in a photo of the Arizona mountains for Gina to use. The final design, a circular landscape framed by native plants, was a stunning representation of Gina’s artistic style.
Gina likes to use bright color, fine dainty lines and natural elements in her work. “I’m a big sap, and I love it when people come in with tattoo ideas that have meaning behind them. I get really invested in the tattoos I do. Usually if someone gets emotional about the work that they’re getting done and starts crying, I cry too,” she says.
“If I can’t show my kids the tattoos, I won’t do them. I don’t do anything hate or anything lewd,” Gina adds. The couple have a six-year-old daughter who spends time at the shop along with Alyssa’s three-year-old brother. Alyssa tells me that that their daughter likes art and that the couple hopes that someday their younger family members will be involved in the business.
In August, Sorry Mom Ink moved to a space across the street from their old location. The owners and their friends renovated the larger space themselves, creating a new storefront that boasts an upstairs lounge area and a minimalist look. Since the bulk of the renovation was completed, Gina and Alyssa try to accomplish one major project a month, such as painting the walls, updating the stairs, getting toolboxes for the artists to use or adding a partition wall built by a close friend.
From the start, Sorry Mom Ink made a commitment to give back to the community. Last winter clients were invited to bring in donations of clothing, food or outdoor supplies in exchange for a $50-off coupon for their next tattoo. Gina and Alyssa distributed the donations to the homeless community of Olympia. This holiday season they set up a giving tree in their shop, where clients select a family in need to support with donations.
“We want to make sure it’s known that Sorry Mom Ink is a safe space for everyone,” says Gina.
If you are in the market for a new tattoo, stop by Sorry Mom Ink to meet their team of artists at 118 State Ave NE, or reach them at (360) 810-2304.
