The Gay Penguin Piercing and Tattoo : Your One-Stop Shop for Body Art

maybe you came from out of state and you are shocked at how good our prices are. What does this mean? How can the same tattoo vary so wildly in price? What the heck bruh? 

Buckle up

So first of all, most reputable piercing shops in Wilmington NC and tattoo shops are not out to take advantage of anyone. While there are exceptions of course, we like to believe human nature is overall good. Prices can vary from shop to shop and even from artist to artist for many reasons. 

A shop in downtown Wilmington (or really in any downtown area ) Can be expected to charge a bit more than a shop closer to the outskirts. One of the main reasons is simply the cost of running the shop. Downtown rent is pricier and therefor piercings and tattoos will cost more to help cover overhead costs.
     Additionally different shops maintain different philosophies and serve different purposes. A shop that is run purely from a business aspect may charge more if the main goal is income. Alternatively, the opposite can be true where an artist-owned shop charges exponentially more because they believe their art to be sacred and personal. 

What about prices that differ from artist to artist? Why would a tattoo or piercing vary so widely between artists? In most shops, artists make their own prices. This means that an artist will evaluate your request for a tattoo or piercing and come up with a priced based on many aspects. If you are working with a newer artist they may offer you a lower price with the understanding that you will need touchups or a bit of reworking at some point. Alternatively, you may have a senior artist who has dedicated decades of their life to tattooing and places a high price on their minutes.