LGBTQ-friendly Buffalo-area tattoo shop creates safe space

TONAWANDA, NY — Tattoos: Anyone who has more than one has a favorite. Every tattoo and the experience of getting it is special. So Missy Ray and Mystic Tattoo Shop set out on a mission.

“I don’t care who you are. I want you to come into my store and feel like this is a place you want to come out to and never feel uncomfortable,” the owner Ray.

These are all shades of ink and acceptance as the family of stores has grown over the years.

“I found myself hitchhiking across America when I was 20 and everything was stolen from me,” said tattoo artist Sara Nunn. “One thing I still had was a sketchbook and artwork all around me.”

She drew lines on a flower while fellow artist Marie Bardoukhe tattooed a simple name on a mother.

“I’ve been at this store for six weeks, so I’m the new girl,” Bardukhe said.

These ladies are part of a very determined team.

“Well, I’ve been tattooing for 15 years and I’ve never worked with women before, and it’s absolutely wonderful,” she added.

In addition to this, the feminine touch helps counteract certain stereotypes.

“Some tattoo shops are really arrogant,” she recalls. “I had the experience of getting a tattoo and the person is very, I don’t know, their energy is just like, ‘Why are you here?'”

And because they have succeeded in their mission, the store has become a haven for those who walk through the doors.

“Most of the time, people from out of state come here because they recognize that it’s a very safe space, and it’s such an honor to be able to do that,” Zia Lolla said, resident drill and an essential part of anyone entering the shop. “It’s part of the process of allowing them to come together and kind of bring their vision from the inside out. I think all of us in the store, collectively, are really capable of doing that for our clients.”

It was his idea for Ray and company to market an LGBTQ friendly store and since then they have only grown.

“We’ve developed a great customer base, not just LGBTQ-plus people, but inclusive of them,” Ray said.

Which means that every time needles are used to complete a new piercing or tattoo at Mystic, it’s a truly rewarding experience for all parties involved.

“They’re so happy and we helped them achieve something for them, right? I can’t do anything better for work in my life. And it’s not work. It’s A joy.”