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New Tribe Tattoo
New Tribe Tattoo is hard to miss. Sitting across from MuchMusic on Queen West, New Tribe is a 4,000 sq. ft. body art kingdom. And with six full-time tattoo artists, four body piercers, three counter staff and a barber - yeah, seriously, a barber - New Tribe has been a fixture in Toronto's tattoo scene since 1994. And a year ago, they became the in-house artists at Tattoo Rock Parlour - the local drink, rock out and get inked joint just down the road on Queen. And business is booming.
When I walk into New Tribe, I'm not shocked by the size. You can roughly guess its girth by standing on the street below. After you ascend the stairs, to your right is an enclosed room that houses five tattoo beds. A cute girl is getting a foot piece and a guy is getting work done on a half-sleeve.
As I sit in the roomy reception area waiting for Eric Gaudet, the shop's manager, small wolf packs of teenage girls enter. They are all interested in mainly piercings - nose, ear and navel, typically. Talking with the counter girl, she explains that a good majority of the browsing, Katy Perry-lovin' kids do end up getting a piercing or a tattoo. According to the staff, New Tribe is probably the busiest piercing shop in town. It's all in the location that gets the foot traffic from curious passerby bored from shopping Queen West. What Gaudet calls the "mainstream clientele."
And with a mixture of walk-ins and custom work, New Tribe does it all. Between the artists, they will do tribal, Celtic, big, small, colour, Haida, black and grey, portraits, Japanese and traditional. In a year, "Guys [tattoo artists] here will do thousands of tattoos," says Gaudet. "No exaggeration." And because of the prime location, New Tribe sets about 20% of booking time aside for walk-ins. And unlike other big shops in the city, if it fits and a consult isn't needed, they'll do walk-ins that day. But Gaudet ensures that his artists can run with the best of them. "Any of our artists could stack up with any other artists [in the city] with their custom work."
The shop's walls are decked with your common tattoo shop flare. You have the typical stock tattoo drawings of smiley cherubs, mini-devils and fantastical characters. (Who actually gets these tattoos anyway?) There are a number of tattoo-inspired skateboard decks on the wall. Generic rock music is playing over the speakers. And then there's the shop's T-shirts and jewelry for sale. As I walk the well-lit environ, I check out the private piercing room (they also do genital and nipple piercings), barber shop, large sterilization centre, and, in the back, a good-sized staff room outfitted with a gi-freakin'-normous flat screen TV and Xbox 360 console.
Under the ownership of Dave Wildenboer, a tattoo artist himself, circa 1994 New Tribe started in a cramped spot on Queen St. before growing into the current digs after a year. And now with their artists at Tattoo Rock Parlour, which brings a "different type of crowd, different type of atmosphere, different hours," according to Gaudet, New Tribe is sitting pretty in a crowded downtown tattoo scene.
With an obvious explosion in tattoo shops dotting the city in the past couple years, New Tribe is a mainstay, says Gaudet. They have the reputation of quality, safe work. They have an inviting and knowledgeable counter staff. And they damn well have the location.
New Tribe is open from 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. from Monday to Friday. Saturday 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Tattoo Rock Parlour is open from 2 p.m. - 2 a.m. on most nights, when the bar is open.
Writing by Ryan Bolton. Photos by Dennis Marciniak.
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Who wants to tattoo me next? Pro bono, of course. I am a writer.
I can say that it is clean, comfortable, but I think rather unprofessional. Anyone going to this location could be confident in getting a hygenic tattoo or piercing.
I will also say that at the time that I was there the staff were apathetic and condescending, maybe because I don't look like someone "cool" enough to get a tattoo.
The tattoo was done well enough, but not perfect. (I think I may actually have been the artist's first real client) For something that I will have to live with for the rest of my life, I was less than 100% satisfied. I advise that anyone considering getting their first tattoo look somewhere else.
That fact that they are booked weeks if not months in advance to get any substantial work done should speak to the quality of work.
Cheers
I want to let everyone know when they want to get tattooed, they should go to New Tribe, this is a very clean studio, along with some really amazing artists, mine is Paul Samplonius, he has done a complete memorial sleeve for my daughter that passed away in 2008 at 33 weeks along in my pregnancy, I have received so many stares and compliments of complete awe to the amazing work that is on my right arm, yes it is expensive there, but you only get what you pay for, 14 years experience and cleanliness,
Way to go New tRibe
love you :)
Again this was part of the pretentious condescending attitude I got while I was there
I was young and naive and I didn't ask enough questions, I wasn't familiar enough with the process to know how poorly they were treating me. I know better now that they were just being dismissive and rude and I've been much better shops than this one. Especially if someone is getting their FIRST tattoo I couldn't be more forceful saying STAY AWAY FROM NEW TRIBE.
They don't care about you, they're the Starbucks of tattoo shops. Get the customer out with their "custom and cool" latte as fast as possible. The fact that they're booked months in advance tells you the same as the fact that Starbucks or McDonalds have a lineup out the door. Just because a lot of people go there doesn't mean you're getting the best, or even what's good for you.
Am I happy with my tattoo? Yes.
Do I regret it? No.
But would I go back/recommend it to a friend? No.
If you had brought it to my attention initially I would had been more than accommodating in trying to rectify the situation and make it up to. We do try our best to be professional and friendly with everyone that walks through out doors. Our reception staff is recognized as some of the friendliest in the business and I believe our tattoo artists are second to none. As for comparing us to McDonalds and Starbucks, I take that as an insult as we are a large shop but we are independently artist-owned and run, and not a chain. Again, I apologize for your negative experience and hope that one day you will find it in yourself to give us another go.
All the best,
Dave W
Tattoo artist/owner
New Tribe
I hope that something is said about this because the younger generation of people who are beginning their journey of tattoo'ing should be made to feel comfortable and not like wannabe tat kids. Tattoo's are for everyone and anyone who wants one.....even if it is a butterfly on thei ankle, and should not be made to feel like they shouldn't be there. Nobody is a tattoo god here.....thanks
The place was neat and tidy and the helpful staff were happy to answer my
questions. After a short wait (10min) I was called in.
Everything went great and the tattoo was well done.
The tattoo feels and looks great. I would go back again.
Thanks Eric! Rob