We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jesse Reich a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jesse, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I felt that we were severely lacking in representation throughout the tattooing industry, especially in my hometown of Harrisonburg, Virginia. Throughout the course of my apprenticeship I felt stifled by the attitudes around me and the antiquated views of life and tattooing that abound in this industry. These attitudes pushed me to start my own LGBTQ+-centered shop where all are welcome and can exist without judgment or fear.

With the recent push in the government of the united states to reject queerness I feel that safe spaces within our communities are extremely important. In our area and surrounding areas, there are no LGBTQ+-focused tattooing or piercing shops even though our town has a high population of LGBTQ+ people. As a non-binary person myself I have often felt underserved in the broader community when it comes to safe spaces where I can exist as I am without fear of judgment.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My legal name is Annaka, but I go by Jesse. I am a 26-year-old non-binary person of color, and I am married to my wonderful partner Jordan, who works front-of-house at the shop with me, they are also non-binary. We have been together for almost 5 years and married for almost 4. We live in a 130-year-old farmhouse in the country with two cats and a small flock of chickens. We spend most of our time working at the shop but love to cook and play video games together in our free time.

I always loved practicing my art using many different media types when I was younger. I put off practicing for a few years after high school to pursue a degree and career in culinary arts but decided that it wasn’t for me after working in the industry for a few years. I took a period of time off to decide what I was going to pursue, and during that time I was given an opportunity to begin a tattooing apprenticeship within my hometown. After two years of apprenticing, I was able to graduate from the apprenticeship and become a fully licensed tattoo artist. I began looking to open my own shop shortly after graduating and was able to find a small location in downtown Harrisonburg to open up my own shop.

I provide an establishment that is board-licensed and certified, up-to-date with modern tattooing regulations, and goes above and beyond the requirements for cleanliness imposed by our state regulatory agency. In addition, I provide a safe and comfortable environment to work on the creative process of a tattoo from start to finish. We provide ease of access to our services by making use of an online booking site so as to minimize social anxiety for people who may not be comfortable with calling or walking into a shop.

I am so amazed by the community outreach that we’ve gotten and the fantastic response from our new and returning clients since we opened in late March. The outpouring of support from the community in our area has been incredible, and we hope to continue to be able to provide a welcoming and warm environment for all.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I started my apprenticeship I was not yet out as non-binary, so I was seen as a woman and continued to be referred to as a woman even after coming out as they/them. The person that mentored me had a very outdated mindset when it came to gender and life in general. He focused on freehand tattooing only and would talk disparagingly about stencils in front of my clients. He was a member of the Baby-boomer generation and had not kept up with the times in terms of the technology and techniques related to modern-day tattooing. Through determination and a willingness to learn, I have managed to keep up and learn modern techniques for tattooing. I had paid a fee to my mentor to start the apprenticeship and still had 50% of all my earnings taken as “booth rent” while also having to pay out of my own pocket for all my own supplies. Despite all these obstacles, I was still able to rise above and create my own tattoo studio where I hope to bring the industry around me up to a higher standard.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I first started drawing in grade school I thought I didn’t have the skill for it when compared to the people around me. I never really took my art seriously and only practiced it as a hobby up until my senior year of high school. I had an art teacher that year who made me feel comfortable with my art style and gave me the confidence to believe in myself and what I could accomplish. Despite this newfound confidence in my art, I decided to pursue culinary arts so that I could still pursue art in a more tangible field of study. I always thought you had to be famous or create masterpieces to make any kind of money with art so I went with a field I thought I could get a job in more easily. I left the culinary industry after about 5 years because of the racism and sexism that I experienced that is rampant throughout the industry. During my time off from the culinary industry I practiced my art more, and when the opportunity arose for a tattoo apprenticeship I took it. Over time I learned that everyone has their own art style, and shouldn’t judge themselves based on what others around them may be creating. Everyone’s art is valid, and the more you practice the better you can get in your own creative style.

Contact Info:

• Website: Libertystreettattoo.com
• Instagram: Libertystreettattoos
• Facebook: Liberty St. Tattoos, LLC
• Twitter: @LibertyStTats
• Other: Secondary instagram: boho_body_arts

Image Credits
Kaitlyn Schraff. Olivia Jardine. Lawrence Judson Avery. Ashleigh Nelson. James Cestare. Hannah Taylor