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TATTOO SHOP INKS NEW SPACE FOR ARTISTS
The Pico-Union/Westlake BusinessSource Center (BSC) helped Nicole Petrou and Jesse Gomez, co-owners of Raven’s Nest Tattoo in Highland Park, expand from a startup studio to an established boutique space, where they can onboard and develop apprenticeships for new tattoo artists.
The BSC, operated by PACE Business Development Center, provided the owners training on the essentials of operating and growing a business, marketing, accounting, and business administration. Nicole said, “We have been focused on slowly establishing our studio space and the processes needed to run the business smoothly. Now that we are situated, our focus has turned more aggressively towards growth. Our goal is to have at least two other artists in the studio within a year. We provide an environment where artists receive a majority of their hourly pay rates and can thus thrive artistically. Developing this mutually beneficial relationship is our top priority. A close second is developing the marketing channels needed to support all the studio artists.”
She added that the BSC “has helped us to fully build out the workstations, purchase the necessary inventory, and provide the necessary funds to fully explore the potential of the various marketing channels we will be using.” Raven’s Nest Tattoo Shop has continued working with their BSC counselor to secure grants, refine their business and marketing strategies, and receive additional training on self‐identified topics. Raven’s Nest Tattoo is located in LA City Council District 1.
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