You may or may not have noticed that we have a new Tattoo parlour in the town. 'Road to Nowhere' opened it's doors on the 24th August and trade has been brisk in their first few weeks. I went to visit the manager, Ginge, to see how things are going, to find out a bit about his background and to ask: why Barton?
Ginge and his two Jack Russells pose for me outside 'Road to Nowhere'.
Ginge with Scruffy and Damian.
Ginge got his first Tattoo in 1969 at the age of 15, at the same time as joining the navy. It was a generic female tattoo on his right forearm, nothing too specific. He spent four years serving as a Radio Communications officer and visited the Med as well as the US, his favourite place on his travels being Mayport in Florida. It wasn't Disneyland that caught his imagination, he says, but the size of everything: the buildings, the landscape, the pizzas! While in the navy he added numerous other tattoos to his arms. 'Sailor-Jerry Tattoos' as he calls them. Norman 'Sailor-Jerry Collins was a famous tattoo artist of his day: see this Wikipedia article for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailor_Jerry
Apparently, this only hurts in certain places on certain people!
After leaving the navy Ginge did various odd jobs and bought up four children. It wasn't until approximately 25 years after leaving the navy that the urge to get more tattoos caught up with him and he really went for it this time: skulls, Indian heads, ladies, eyeballs. Skulls and eyeballs are a particular theme on his head, "so I can keep an eye on the people around me", says Ginge.
It was for the proliferation of tattoos on his head and arms, together with many piercings on his face that Ginge was asked to appear on the Tricia show in 1999. 'Freak or Unique' was the theme of the show and it gave Ginge the opportunity to show that although his appearance might have seemed 'menacing' or 'strange' to some, that he was just an ordinary guy with a cheeky sense of humour underneath.
The Tuft, or the overgrown carpet tile, as Ginge affectionately calls it. Featured on 'The Salon', 2002!
Ginge's talent for tattoos was all self-taught. 'I just got some equipment and practiced on myself, on neighbours, on anyone who wanted a tattoo'. This snowballed in to a full-blown business operated from in his garage in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. 'The council said they didn't mind me operating from my garage as long as the neighbours didn't mind.. but it was mostly the neighbours who were my customers so there were no problems there!'
A few months of operating from his garage and Ginge moved into a regular parlour. He had two parlours in Hitchin and then one in Enfield, North London.
Shelly, a trainee at the parlour, posing for the camera.
Ginge recently decided to relocate to Barton, so what I wanted to know was 'how do you go from North London to Barton?
'Basically, I have a friend who lives in Winterton and he informed me of an empty shop and flat unit that was going in Barton. So i just decided to give it a go.'
It seems to have been a move that is paying off for Ginge and his staff. Trade is brisk and seemingly there is an endless supply of Bartonians who want tattoos. 'Everyone is very friendly here, it's unbelieveable that everyone knows who you are and what you're up to. There are more people getting large pieces of work here than in London', says Ginge. Proportionally, that must be!
Ginge, looking rather small behind his tall counter. My first thought was that Ginge was challenged in the height department, but no, the counter is specifically designed for the convenience of the customer. Quite right too!
So what of all the piercings? Ginge doesn't adorn his face anymore. He says it used to take him 45 minutes to get ready for bed at night, taking them all out. Otherwise he would keep on stabbing himself in the face!
Reading the news...
It was lovely to meet Ginge and his staff (and the Jack Russells). It's great to see a new business in Barton doing well too so the best of luck to 'Road to Nowhere and thanks for being on the Blog.
See Road to Nowhere on Facebook: Search for RoadTo Nowhere and you should find them.
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