Reporting Trip: 3 Ravens Tattoo & Piercing
As part of my reporting on how Athens’ tattoo industry has been affected by COVID-19, I visited 3 Ravens Tattoo & Piercing in downtown Athens, Georgia, to interview an artist and see how the studio has adapted.
One of the first things I noticed driving through the downtown area was the unusual abundance of street parking, including outside the storefront of 3 Ravens. This in itself is already a huge difference from pre-pandemic downtown Athens, where you’d be lucky to find parking anywhere in the middle of the day.
3 Ravens’ front windows feature several signs regarding COVID-19, including a reminder to schedule appointments before coming in, as walk-ins are currently not allowed. Tyler Williams, a tattoo artist of three years who has worked at 3 Ravens for a year, said he enjoys walk-in appointments because they help him meet new people, socialize and build clientele.
Doing away with walk-in appointments is just one way the studio has adapted to the coronavirus pandemic. Notices posted on the studio’s front window include a mask mandate and a longer explanation of COVID-19 precautions. According to 3 Ravens’ website, clients cannot bring guests inside with them, and some services are not currently offered, such as oral piercings. Regarding sanitization, Williams said it hasn’t been difficult for 3 Ravens to adjust. Since the studio is already kept clean to protect against things like AIDS and hepatitis, cleaning to protect against COVID-19 only added “basically a couple extra steps,” Williams said.
Inside, everyone wore a mask, and a large jug of hand sanitizer sat on the front desk. The eclectic interior of the building felt inviting with massive windows on the front wall casting the entire interior with natural light. The studio was mostly empty of people, with only one client waiting to be taken care of and a few artists hanging around and chatting.
Williams said the studio experienced an influx in clientele when it reopened after its month-and-a-half closure, and another influx came when University of Georgia students returned to Athens for the start of classes. Now, business is starting to slow down again.
