We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sandi Calistro a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Sandi , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
My parents saw my interest in art at a very early age, I’d say about 4 or 5. My father would bring home large rolls of paper and roll them out onto the floor for my brother and I to scribble on. I don’t remember ever setting my sights on anything outside of the art world, beyond that point. I was transfixed. My parents continued to nurture my love of the arts throughout my childhood. When I decided to pursue tattooing, both of my parents gave me their full support. I have tattooed both of them and my father accompanied me in selling tattoo designs around Denver before getting my apprenticeship.
Sandi , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I have been a tattooer, painter and muralist in Denver for about 20 years. I started tattooing at one of Denver’s first custom tattoo shops, Twisted Sol. I met the people that helped mold my career there. Alicia Cardenas and Kevin Strawbridge. They pushed me to be a painter and business owner and without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I went on to work for Alicia at Kaze Gallery where we had monthly art shows and a tattoo studio towards the back of the space. It was here I formulated the idea for my ideal tattoo studio. I went on to open a shop with Missy Rhysing called Ritual tattoo. It was an all female tattoo shop that created a comfortable, welcoming environment for the client and feeling of family for the tattooers. Missy went on to open Ritual Cravt and Billy Crandall now owns Ritual Tattoo which continues to evolve into a Denver tattoo staple and beautiful space. I went on to open Tattoo Dumond, a space named after my mother, Diane Dumond. It is an unassuming townhouse in downtown Denver with 6 amazing artists. The space is appointment only and each artist creates their own schedule. We have focused on making the shop a safe, comfortable space for everyone, where our coworkers are treated with kindness and respect. It’s been a rough couple years and having a quiet beautiful space to create, with the people I love has saved me.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
During the height of covid, tattooing was not allowed. I took it as an opportunity to test making a living from my painting alone. I set up a shipping department at home with the help of my partner and started taking on commission paintings. I think it was the mix of people being on their phones more and the drive to support those out of work that kept me very much afloat during that time. I often reflect on how busy I stayed not being able to tattoo and feel so much gratitude.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
In tattooing the client often feels quite intimidated. There’s an immense amount of vulnerability when you are trusting someone to permanently mark you with their art. I have tried to provide an element of transparency and trust along with a comfortable environment that feels more like a spa experience. We also take great care in designing each tattoo. Every artist specializes in a specific style and is often sought out by the client. We all utilize social media for a large majority of our scheduling and sourcing of new clientele. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to grow clientele as well, I’d say I still book about 50% of my clients that way. We just focus on treating our clients with respect and really taking care of them.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @sandicalistro @tattoodumond