Will a new shop shake up SLO’s tattoo scene? ‘Hopefully we can change the status quo’
A new tattoo shop in San Luis Obispo is looking to change the face of tattooing on the Central Coast.
Birdhouse Tattoo Collective, which opened at 3229 Broad St. on Sept. 16, was co-founded by artists Obed Hernandez, Wesley Bird and Blue Lindenmuth.
All three worked together in various capacities prior to making the decision to open their own studio. Hernandez and Lindenmuth, who have been tattooing for about three years, and Bird, who has been tattooing for 20 years, said they all share a similar vision on the culture and future of tattooing.
That vision is what led them to Birdhouse Tattoo Collective.
Rather than creating an environment where artists and customers interact one-on-one, the owners at Birdhouse want to create a community where everyone in the shop talks to each other, Lindenmuth said.
“We’re all very outgoing and sociable people,” Lindenmuth said in a recent interview with The Tribune. “The big thing for us is building a community where people will come in and it’s not just one-on-one with them and the artist. We want it to be more of a dynamic feel between us as a collective.“
SLO tattoo shop seeks to bring safety, comfort to customers
Bird said too often in the world of tattooing people feel judged by artists for the art they choose to put on their bodies.
However, at Birdhouse Tattoo Collective, customers are supported and encouraged to get the tattoo of their choosing.
According to Bird, the shop will never house “rock stars,” who try to tell customers what to tattoo and where.
“Choosing art to put on your body for life is not an easy decision,” he said. “We want people to feel good in their decision. The key is empowerment.”
Additionally, both Hernandez and Bird said they have heard a lot of stories from young women who have had unsafe experiences while being tattooed at other shops, like being told to come to appointments alone.
Birdhouse Tattoo Collective is working to change that.
“We’re the opposite,” Bird said. “We want you to bring all your friends. We want you to feel comfortable.”
Birdhouse Tattoo Collective offers tattoos in diverse styles
Bird, Hernandez and Lindenmuth all bring their own styles and expertise to the work they produce.
Hernandez specializes in fine-line, geometric and dot work tattoos and Lindenmuth specializes in microrealism and single needle tattooing. Bird specializes in cartoons and black and gray work.
The shop also houses hand poke artist Janine Rae of After School Art Club, and apprentices Becky Couch, who focuses on tattoos in the American traditional and neo-traditional styles, and Ava Tamo, who specializes in dotwork and fine line tattoos.
Together, the artists offer “a little bit of everything,” Hernandez said.
In the future, Hernandez said he hopes to host more artists and put San Luis Obispo on the map as a “big tattoo community with a mecca of art and artists.”
Lindenmuth echoed Hernandez’s wishes and added that he wants Birdhouse Tattoo Collective to be a shop that is known to the community as welcoming and “inclusive of everybody.”
Bird said inclusivity is crucial to his long-term vision for the shop.
“It’s not about us in our shop, really,” Bird said. “I hope other shops want to emulate our model and get rid of the stigma of tattooing and be more inclusive. Hopefully we can change the status quo of other shops all around.”
For more Information on Birdhouse Tattoo Collective
Birdhouse Tattoo Collective is open every day from noon to 8 p.m.
To book an appointment, visit birdhouseslo.com or call 805-439-1101.
