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

Jessica, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I’m a tattoo artist and owner of Haven studio in Brooklyn, nyc. I have been in the tattoo industry for just over 15 years, tattooing for 10. I started as a shop assistant 15 years ago, slowly moving up and eventually opened Haven in 2019 which started out as a private studio and has grown into an appointment only shop with multiple artists. My partner and I opened Haven as a shop in 2022. The main “issue” in the tattoo industry is it is very much a cishet white male dominated industry. It always has been. There is tons of abuse of power in this field and can often be an uncomfortable situation for women in the industry and female clients.
tattooing can be a very intimidating experience. It’s very intimate as well. I remember being 18 walking into a shop and the artists laughing at my tattoo idea. It definitely set the tone for me on just how scary of a place a tattoo parlor can be. Even as a heavily tattooed person I still can feel as if I am being judged when walking into the door of a new shop. For many tattoos you’re undressing a bit and spending hours in extremely close proximity to a person who is stabbing you over and over again. The process is bad enough, the experience should be the pleasant part. The more I spoke to my clients, who are predominantly women, the more I heard it’s not just me who has had negative experiences. It’s 99% of my clientele as well. That’s when I decided if I wanted to see a change in the industry I had to do it myself.
my partner and I have created an intimate, safe environment that is judgement free and super accommodating.
We want our clients to know there will be absolutely no one creeping on them in my space. We want them to feel as comfortable as possible. One way I do this is by being a private space. No one can walk in off the street. The address is not public. We keep it really small and comfortable. We ask clients come alone, so there are no extra bodies lingering, watching (also, Covid precautions). We really try our best to cater to our clients and let them know they have our complete undivided attention and they are safe in our hands.

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

I always wanted to tattoo, as far back as I can remember. However I didn’t think it was something girls could do. Eventually when I was 22 I started working the front desk at a shop eventually moving up to manager and apprentice. After being strung along for years I decided to take the fundamentals i learned and leave and teach myself the technical aspects.
It’s hard to get started in the tattoo industry as there is no school, it is passed down from generation to generation. You really have to prove how badly you want it to succeed in this industry.
After working in a handful of shops I have witnessed first hand how none of the shops were client focused, it was all about egos of the artists. They forget they are still in a service industry.
I don’t do that. My tattoos are a complete collab with my clients and myself. I have the utmost respect for my clients and I treat them as such. This is a service industry unlike any other. Finding the right balance between your artistry and customer service is key.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I get all of my new clientele from social media and word of mouth. I’ve never done any sort of advertising. Social media is truly the best way to market yourself and typically free.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

When I set out on my own I had just a private studio that consisted of myself and my apprentice, who shortly moved out of the country. I asked my partner to come manage the studio with/for me. She noticed I had so many people trying to get appointments with me but I didn’t have the time to fill the demand, so I had to turn people away.
She decided to help me branch out. She came on as co-owner and helped manage the business. We found a commercial space, hired artists and she does most of the managerial work for the business so I can focus my attention on my clients and tattooing.

Contact Info:

• Website: Jvtattoo.com
• Instagram: @jesvalentinetattoos @havenstudiobk
• Other: Tiktok @jesvalentinetattoos