Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Patrick & Kelly Cornolo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Patrick & Kelly thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

We’d like to be remembered as a shop that pioneered the concept of a custom/appointment only studio with a more comfortable and less intimidating look and feel. Something that was not the norm when we first opened. Quality tattoo work has always spoken for itself and we hope our legacy is that the name Speakeasy is synonymous with custom quality tattooing specific to the individual client.

Patrick has been tattooing since 1994 and almost immediately gained a very loyal clientele because his bedside manner is different than what people expected then from the “average” tattooer. He is kind and nurturing and puts people at ease while at the same time has a knack for illustrating the tattoo of their dreams. Gone are the days of street level flash shops being your only option. There is definitely still a place for those shops, but wanted to take it to the next level. Custom tattoos for the serious collector.

From 2000 – 2008 Patrick worked in a studio with one other person that was kind of hidden. No signage, no advertising, you had to “know” to go. Strong word of mouth referrals and loyal clients kept him busy even before social media. So, in 2008 when we decided to open up a shop (in the same building he had been in since 2000), Speakeasy was an easy choice for the name. We are in a much larger space, still on the second floor of a fine arts building, with a front door that is very easy to miss if you don’t know what to look for. You have to buzz to get in which also adds to the whole Speakeasy vibe.

Kelly left her job in Human Resources/Accounting for a hospitality group in 2004 when our daughter was born. By 2008 we were ready for something new and had a couple artists looking to work with Patrick. So, we took a leap of faith by opening a new concept tattoo shop. Patrick has a knack for making people feel welcomed and comfortable and giving them exactly what they want as a tattoo. Kelly does the behind the scenes work necessary to running the business and being the shop “mom”. From social media to accounting, she is great at nurturing artists to become the best versions of themselves, all while making sure the shop runs like a well oiled machine. Organization and problem solving are her strong suits.

This kind of shop was not the norm back in 2008. We wanted to combine both of our skills and open up a shop where people (both artists and clients) could feel comfortable, get a great service and leave feeling like they had a great experience to go along with their great art. We started slow with only 3 artists including Patrick in our 2400+ square foot space. We have learned a lot in our 15 years of business and continue to learn daily.

Slowly building our reputation and acquiring like minded artists along the way. Our whole goal aside from giving clients a great experience and tattoo is to nurture artists who show potential and help them grow their own strong client base and reputation. We want our shop to be a “goal” or a place that artists strive to be good enough to work. Ultimately, we would like to become and institution among the tattoo community. We would like to be looked at as a place where good artists become great artists. A place where people are proud to work or to have worked. We want to be a destination for both artists and collectors.

We hope to be remembered as a shop that set a higher standard for custom tattooing; and that the artists that have worked under our umbrella acknowledge and appreciate the hard work that we put in to building and maintaining a level of quality that is hard to do in an ever changing/evolving industry.

In the social media driven climate of immediate gratification, we strive to maintain our integrity and not bend to trends and stay the course. There will always be a cheaper/quicker option to satisfy someones tattoo urges. With the popularity of tattooing showing no signs of slowing, there seems to be a niche for every type of collector out there. We want to cater to the collector that appreciates a professional and serious approach to their body art.

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.

We think we covered most of this in the previous question. Please let us know if you need more information here.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Back when we started, Instagram was new and not something most artists used regularly. This was the time when Tattoo reality shows were beginning to take hold and tattooing as we knew it was changing rapidly.

Patrick always had a steady clientele without any advertising. So, as we started adding artists to the shop, we began to realize that even though they were good artists, they did not have the clientele that he did and would need help. Kelly knew that in order to build up the other artists we would need to get our name out there more. We started by building a website and learning about SEO and how google works (it is not an if you build it, they will come situation). We also started to build our social media presence by getting on Instagram and a Facebook business page.

Slow and steady wins the race. As great as it sounds to “blow up” and become an instant success on social media, we know that this is not the path for longevity. We have slowly built our following and social media presence by making sure to stay consistent with our look and feel across the board. Staying consistent and handling any situations that arise immediately builds trust. We also like to make sure we are transparent and clients know exactly who they will be working with. Promoting our artists artwork as well as their personality is important for the comfort level of the client. It is less intimidating if you know what to expect.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

We have pivoted many times over the last 15 years but the most recent and major pivot has been the addition of guest artists.

We have always had guest artists here and there. They come from around the country and around the world and usually find us on social media and now via word of mouth. As we started hosting more and more guest artists, we realized that our client base really loves to get tattooed by them. This allows us to offer a wider variety of tattoo styles to appeal to a wider audience as well as having the opportunity to learn and grow from artists around the world.

Back in April we expanded our shop to include two dedicated spaces for guest artists. Adding the opportunity for our loyal clientele to work with artists who they may never have been able to meet before. Our shop devotees have fun collecting unique pieces of art from many artists while still supporting a shop where they know they can feel comfortable. It also brings new clients in to the shop who maybe would not have known about us. They often book with a resident artist for their next tattoo. It is really great to meet so many people from far away places, we have a lot of regular guests who have become like family to us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://speakeasycustomtattoo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakeasytat/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeakeasyCustomTattoo

Image Credits
Kristina Pudlewski Instagram @kris.photo.co