By Natalie Murphy
Just by taking a glance inside of Paper Doll Tattoo, it’s easy to say it doesn’t feel like the stereotypical place to get a tattoo. Unlike the masculine, grunge-like shops you might normally think of, Paper Doll is bright, quirky and colorful, featuring paintings and prints by the shop’s own artists.
Opened at the end of October, the decor of the shop is not the only thing that sets it apart from others in the area. The most notable difference is that it has an all female and queer adjacent staff. Something that is very uncommon in an especially male dominated industry.
It’s the staff at the shop that is also bringing in so many customers. Just like the artists, their demographic is largely women and aligned with the LGBTQ community. Their shop provides a safe space for these marginalized groups and is making them feel welcomed and accepted in the Fayetteville community.
Inside of Paper Doll Tattoo. Photo by Sarah Wittenburg.
The five artists, Ashley Nielson, Holly Summers, Averee Jolly, Sara Schellenberg and Lily Elba are all U of A art alumni and are, as of recent, co-business owners. The five previously worked together at another tattoo shop in Fayetteville, but recently parted with the business and began their own shop that held true to their morals and independence.
“We’ve really been repping that since it happened. We are little co-owners,” Jolly said. “It feels very adult, but we are doing it.”
The name of the shop is inspired by the idea of self customization and expression much like you would do with a paper doll. They said they hope that the name translates to being a welcoming place for people to feel confident in their appearances.
To celebrate the opening of their new business, the artists hosted an open house for customers to check out the new location, meet the artists and buy artwork. The next day, they had a flash tattoo sale that created a line full of eager customers that went out the door and into the parking lot.
“We just post our silly little drawings on Instagram and people go crazy. And the fact that so many people are coming to us wanting our work, is just really validating,” Summers said.
Throughout the time of their rebrand, the artists were bombarded with messages from loyal followers sending them words of encouragement and telling them they would follow them wherever they moved too. Jolly laughs as she shares that she never expected to cry so much because of Instagram in just one month.
Together, the artists have grown a large following on the shop’s social media as well as their own, posting their work as well as their personal lives which has created an even stronger customer/artist relationship. Summers notes the thoughtfulness of customers during appointments, often asking about her personal life that she shares through the screen.
Artwork and tattoo drawings on the walls of Paper Doll Tattoo. Photo by Sarah Wittenburg.
In a college town like Fayetteville, it is important to have a business like Paper Doll Tattoo that is a safe outlet for queer and fem-adjacted people. These marginalized groups are subjected to discrimination throughout their day-to-day life, so having a community created by those like them is why the tattoo shop is so beloved. With all the artists having gone to the U of A and being a part of the queer community, they said they understand what the community and demographic needs.
“We thought it was important to move here in order to stay within the community that we are already trying to help and grow,” Nielsen said.“This is our clientele, what we love and where we like to be.”
Nielsen started apprenticing when she was a senior at the U of A, but says the lack of young, queer, female representation in the industry was something that discouraged her from the career path at first.
“It is hard to be a female tattoo artist, and I definitely feel like a lot of older artists take it upon themselves to make other women’s lives harder in the industry, so we try not to do that,” Nielsen said.
Along with providing new representation in the industry, the artists said they are also trying to make tattoos more accessible to their customers. Jolly mentions how she loves trading artwork from customers for free tattoos and also hosts tattoo giveaways for her Instagram followers from time to time.
The Paper Doll artists are mindful that a large number of their customer rate are students who don’t have the money to afford costly tattoos and are usually open to working with their budgets.
“Everyone should be able to have art on their bodies,” Summers said as an all around motto for the shop.
In the meantime, the shop owners say they hope to settle into their new location and continue business as usual.
Tattoo station emblazoned with stickers. Photo by Sarah Wittenburg.
“I hope what’s next for us is security,” Jolly laughs honestly. “I just want to sit here and grow for as long as we can. We really all love what we are doing and are thriving, and I can’t believe I get to work in a place like this… and continue to make art and people happy.”
Schellenberg mentions the shop is interested in hosting a benefit flash tattoo day to support a non-profit once they are fully back on their feet. For now though, they will continue to do what they love, which is creating beautiful pieces of art for their customers and making their space as welcoming as possible.
For those interested in supporting Fayetteville’s newest all-female tattoo shop, you can follow along with them @paperdolltat on Instagram or even schedule an appointment to get a tattoo from one of the incredible artists. Lastly, they encourage you to spread the word.
“Tattooing is also a really word of mouth industry, so if you have had a good experience with any of us, whether at our previous location or here we really want to reach our arms as far as we can around Fayetteville and around Northwest Arkansas in general, and really make this a really safe space,” Schellenberg said.