It doesn’t take long to feel right at home at Buzz Ink.
The recently opened tattoo, barber and piercing shop on Manchester Street appeals to all looking for a drastic personal change. Whether you are there to add some new ink to your forearm, get that long-awaited nose ring or looking for a nice fade to spice up your hairdo, owner Rick Broider and his staff are there to make sure you leave feeling like a new person.
That’s why Buzz Ink’s resident DJ Matt Luppold, also one of the four barbers, will blast just about anything a customer wants to hear. It’s why Broider has outfitted the lobby area with white leather memory foam couches, which makes playing NBA 2K13 on the two XBOX 360 stations feel more like you are in your own living room than about to alter your look.
There are flat screens in every direction your eyes can wander and a strategically placed pole near the front counter that has led to a few competitions among the employees to see who can spin the most times around it (so far Broider owns the title with five).
“It’s so neat to be able to love where you work and with people you love,” said Broider. “If I’m going to do something, I want to make it the best it can be.”
Behind the shop, which opened about 10 weeks ago, are cornhole boards and a place to toss the football around. Having fun is the environment Broider wanted to create. He wanted a place where people would want to be. So far, he has done just that.
“It’s kind of an interesting business model,” said Broider. “You’ll see all kinds of things here.”
And Broider has two of his sons to thank for the idea. Mikey, who is not actually his real son but is considered one by Broider, told him this summer that he wanted to become a barber.
“After going to Andy (McCoo) for a few years, he was so impressed with Andy’s work he said, ‘I’m going to go to barbering school,’ ” said Broider of Buzz’s barbershop manager.
His other son, Zack, told him he wanted be a tattoo artist. Broider developed the idea and what came of it was Buzz Ink.
“I’m sitting on the porch and it’s back in June and I’m thinking, tattoo and barber,” said Broider. “Then it hit me.”
After some quick research and learning that the business model was popular on the West Coast, Broider couldn’t wait to get things rolling. His biggest obstacle? Finding the right group of people.
Broider went to McCoo first. He got an emphatic yes from his future barbershop manager and McCoo said he knew the perfect person to run the tattoo side of things. Kristy Case was looking for a new place to show off her artistic form, and with Broider already having some of his art work done by Case, the decision to bring her aboard was easy.
“The longest time I’ve spent on one tattoo was actually on my boss and that took about eight hours,” said Case.
Case is your stereotypical tattoo artist with many creations covering her legs and arms, including five she has done herself. She has multiple piercings, including one she added to her upper right ear for the Insider after finishing a tattoo on David Constant last week. But it’s her passion and dedication that has clients coming back.
“We do everything we can to keep it custom and different,” said Case. “Usually the first thing I ask is where and how big.”
She chose to forego a trip to art school to pursue a career with tattoos. After an apprenticeship, Case went out on her own and has been decorating people’s bodies for the better part of five years.
“I’ve found that most people are looking for my opinion,” said Case. “So I try to be honest. We don’t want people to regret it.”
The artist in her shines in each tattoo sketch and that is what has had Constant consistently in her chair since Buzz Ink opened. And for Case, the important thing is that each tattoo is not only original, but that her clients leave her chair happy.
“I get a ton of compliments on my tattoos. The colors are great and the designs are amazing,” said Constant. “I just give her an idea and she creates off of it. I trust her fully with everything. They’re custom pieces that are only on my body.”
The barber team of McCoo, Luppold, Dylan Ames and Adam Ford also want their customers to keep coming back. All four have brought a little something different to the shop, including hot shaves.
McCoo recruited the others to join the shop and list of clients continues to grow.
“When you have the best people, you bring in the best clients,” said Broider.
A small sign near the entrance allows for a nice flow to the barber chairs. People sign up for which one they want a cut from, and if their favorite barber is tied up, they can just relax on the oversized couches.
“It’s an art form and every cut is different,” said Ford.
But if you’ve got all the ink you need for the time being and a haircut is not on your to do list, Buzz Ink also offers piercings. And if you are looking for a piece of jewelry to show off, than Jareb Foosh (aka Master Foosh) has you covered. On and off for the last 15 years, Foosh has been perfecting his craft and when he decided to join Buzz Ink for its opening, he wanted control over the entire process.
That was just fine with Broider, who gave Foosh everything he needed to get things up and running, including a state of the art sterilizing center and the ability to order the kind of jewelry customers would be looking for. And if you don’t see something you want at Buzz Ink, Foosh will order whatever you need and put it together for you.
“Our customers deserve the best,” said Foosh. “As a kid, anything from the mall is all right, but as you get older you want nicer stuff.”
It’s what some may call an eclectic group working at Buzz Ink. There are tattoos and piercings everywhere, facial hair and the gentle hum of rap music flowing through the speakers. And while it may seem intimidating, the Buzz Ink team is there to make sure your experience is the best.
“We wanted to create a VIP experience for the everyday person,” said Broider. “We’re all about being absolutely remarkable.”
As for Broider, his list of responsibilities may seem a bit odd for the owner. Included in his job description are sweeping (with the use of a skateboard) and polishing the pole.
“We have firemen who come in and give us a hard time if our pole is not shiny,” said Broider.
And don’t forget about the Buzz Ink back-to-back. If you get a tattoo and a haircut in the same visit, Broider will give you some Buzz Ink swag.
So head on down to Buzz Ink in you’re looking for that dramatic change in appearance. Unless you are afraid of tattoos, needles or scissors, Broider’s team has you covered.