InkSpired Magazine Issue No. 34 | Page 78

Story: Vanessa Heart Photography: Sean Hartgrove Thora Dowdell is one half of the powerhouse couple behind Club Tattoo, founded in 1995 by Sean Dowdell with Chester Bennington (the lead singer of Linkin Park). Club Tattoo now has six locations spanning throughout Arizona, Las Vegas, and San Francisco with a seventh opening this October. The new Arizona location will be featured inside the Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale, which is going to be the world’s premiere Harley-Davidson experience, and the largest Harley Davidson across the globe. You may recognize Sean and Thora from their recent television appearance on Blue Collar Millionaires. They started off with one small studio and over the past twenty years, have expanded into creating over half a dozen of the most premiere upscale tattoo studios in America, grossing over eight million dollars annually. With the onset of so many successful tattoo studios, in 1997, they began expanding their brand into tattoo culture with a Club Tattoo clothing line and partnering with a variety of impressive companies along the way. In 2006, they collaborated with Etnies to launch a special edition skater shoe, featuring traditional tattoo artwork inspired by individuality, art, and skateboarding. In 2009, Chester Bennington and Club Tattoo released a line of premium men’s apparel called, Ve’cel Clothing, heavily influenced by music, art, and tattoos. The line was quite successful and could be purchased in Bloomingdales and 76 INKSPIREDMAGAZINE.COM Nordstroms. In 2010, they took tattoo art and incorporated it into their branding style and created a limited edition exclusive Red Monkey hat. It sold out quickly through authorized dealers, but you can still purchase one at any of the Club Tattoo locations. You can also see the artwork of various renowned tattoo artists from Club Tattoo on their Bicycle brand playing cards, which can be purchased at any local Walgreens or drug store. Club Tattoo has also been putting their mark on the barber industry, catering to the expanding demand of tattooed, well-groomed, clean-cut men (and women) with a new collaborative line of electric clippers by Oster Professional, which will be available in Spring 2016 at professional beauty suppliers all over the world. Club Tattoo’s influence can be seen globally, whether through their fashion forward line of apparel or in many of their collaborative tattoo lifestyle products. They are changing the face of tattoo studios across the country. Each location is professionally managed by women, averages about 3,500 square feet, and has a budget of one to two million dollars that goes into creating a top-of-the-line professional tattoo and piercing studio. Club Tattoo’s C.E.O., C.F.O., and C.O.O., Thora Dowdell is a mover and a shaker, setting the new standard in the tattoo industry. www.ClubTattoo.com