Tim Jordan is an amazing artist and i'm so happy with how my last tattoo came out. Â In fact, all of the folks tattooing here seem to be really talented. Â I did tons of research on local shops and artists before deciding on Tim/Optic Nerve, so save yourself the time and effort and just go get tattooed here--you'll be happy you did. Â Shop is clean and professional, but really comfortable with none of that bullshit pretentiousness you get in a lot of Portland shops. Â Also got pierced here and am happy with that, too.
Review Source:I've been getting tattooed for more than half my life (since before they were so popular) and have gotten pieces in a half a dozen sites. When I moved to Portland I was pretty excited to try out a new shop in this town full of art. Optic Nerve was right down the street from my house and has some fantastic reviews, so in my wife and I went.
We had recently decided to leave Portland at the end of the month, which at the time was about three weeks away, so we didn't have too high of expectation when it came to getting an appointment. We told this to Jeremy on a sunny Saturday, who reported that it would be no problem to fit us in. We met with him for about a half an hour and it was very pleasant. We explained what we wanted and where we wanted them, and he gave us advice and suggestions. He told us that he would have drawings in about seven days, and we left the shop feeling pretty damn good.
On Monday we realized that we were confused about what Jeremy meant by seven days - did he mean he'd finish the drawing and then we can set up an appointment or that we'd be able to come in the day he finished? - so my wife sent him an email asking him. Monday passed, Tuesday passed, Wednesday passed, Thursday passed, and nothing. On Friday morning I called the shop and was told that Jeremy was busy and would call me back within a couple of hours. The rest of Friday passed with no phone call. As did Saturday and Sunday. On Monday morning I sent him an email, asking what was going on and telling him that if he couldn't get it done it was no big deal but that he should at least let us know. I told him that we would be driving through Missoula, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Denver, so we could easily call and make appointments in one of those cities.
It has been three weeks since that last email and neither my wife nor myself have heard a word from this guy. I don't know if he just didn't like us, but didn't have the courage to tell us in person? Did he get into some horrible accident and become paralyzed from the waist up? Did I dream the whole thing?
I hate to be the first one to give Optic Nerve less than five stars, but it was by far the worst experience I've had in a tattoo shop.
The crew at Optic Nerve Arts was wonderful! I didn't have an appointment and called on Monday around 4 to get my first tattoo. I just e-mailed some pictures to Jeremy and met him at the shop. He did different drawings for me until we finally got the perfect size and style that I wanted.
Everyone at the shop was so friendly! I had a great time talking to Buffy at the desk while Jeremy was drawing.
The actual time for the ink was only 45 minutes and then I was out of there.
Jeremy did a great job! I will definitely go back to him for my second one!
I was out from California for a show and got the itch for a new piercing. A friend recommended we go to Optic nerve as she had been pierced there before and had nothing but good things to say about her experience.
Upon walking into the shop it is immediately clear that this is a professional environment and is well maintained. There is a glass counter with a range of gauged jewelery on display, all of which are beautiful and thoughtfully chosen. The tattoo and piercing portions of the shop are on opposite ends and the piercing studio has a enclosed room for privacy.
Shae was the piercer on staff and came to greet us immediately. She was helpful and knowledgeable when it came to my initial questions and  helped me decide on the best jewelery for what I was getting done. I wanted to reopen my lip with a small gauge hoop as well as get a Philtrum piercing.
We started with the philtrum and boy let me tell you...you do not realize how meaty your upper lip is until someone is sticking a needle through it. Shae did the piercing without a clamp so as to ensure the stud sat properly. This method may take a bit longer but I highly recommend tolerating the additional seconds of pain because it really does make for lovely jewelery placement. After that it was a quick slip of the hoop into my lip and I was on my way.
Shae made sure that I had everything I needed to keep my piercing clean, as well as a few Starburst thrown in the bag for good measure. I would most certainly return to this shop on future trips to Portland and would like to give Shae two major thumbs up and a warm thank you for taking such good care of me.
Pricing is reasonable for a profession shop.
Shop itself is a clean and comfortable environment.
Staff is friendly and helpful.
If you need an "aftermarket" hole in your body, this is the place to go.
I have been a long time customer of Optic Nerve. Â I have gotten most of my piercings done here (the others were done by the old owner when she started elsewhere... I started in 1993 getting pierced by her and just followed her where ever she went, lol). Â Shea is my piercer, she is super knowledgeable and knows what she is doing. If I have problems, they are more than willing to talk to me about it.
The shop is clean, organized, and tidy. Â The tattooing and piercing are completely separate and they wash their hands and wear gloves each time. Â If there is something you want and they don't have it, they will order it for you. No problem.
Nothing but awesome things to say about Optic Nerve.
I'm happy to call Optic Nerve Arts a neighbor. Â I've been in three times and have been greeted by friendly, professional, and skilled folks. Â Shae is some sort of master piercer. Â After the initial pinch of the piercing, my nose didn't hurt or get swollen. Â You can tell she really goes the extra mile to make sure her clients have a good experience, and not just on the day of the piercing.
I very much recommend Shae at Optic Nerve Arts.
Just want to repeat that this is a great place to take kids. I took my five-year-old to have her ears pierced for the first time, and Shea was clean, fast, kind and clean. There've been no problems with the piercings.
By no problems, I mean no redness, no swelling, no seepage, no pain. Nothing. We're still diligently doing the salt soaks, but this was as close to a surgical procedure as I could have hoped. And they're perfectly positioned. Beautiful jewelry, too.
A++++ 10/10 would pierce again.
I had been wanting a very simple tattoo that I knew would only take a few minutes. Â I thought I'd get a shoulder shrug, a few minutes of work and... done. Â
D'Lacie really took the time to make sure the image was absolutely perfect before applying it. Â She refused to accept the image that I said was good, and she improved it until it was impeccable. Â This was my first tattoo, and I can't believe how amazing it looks!
Jeremy pierced my daughter's lobes today and was incredibly kind, patient, and gentle with her throughout the visit. He put both of us at ease with his humor and willingness to explain/describe the process. I ended up getting pierced as well. Excellent experience and worth the price. I recommend optic nerve arts for adults and kids alike!
Review Source:I cannot say enough good things about this place! Jeremy (Smith?), one of the piercers there is supremely awesome. I went in today for my first "real" piercing and was truly impressed by his skills. I hadn't had any other piercings that eere done by a pro-I sadly was young and dumb and went to Claire's *shame*. So, I went today and got a real piercing and it looks awesome. I got a rook piercing in my right ear and even though it hurt, I know it was done the right way and safely.
He also made me a custom earring for a previous piercing that I got at Claire's that was crooked & nearly impossible to find jewelry to fit. That, in and of itself, was awesome!!
Prices were reasonable & work was stellar. Highly recommend!! Get your piercings done right, the first time-go here!! I will be back, definitely. Â
Jeremy,.Thank you so much for all your help & advice for a "novice".
I got a very symbolic tattoo related to a permanent disability I got from an accident by Tim. I was pretty emotional about it and wanted the portrait of a special rabbit. He captured everything I wanted and it looks identical to the pose I wanted. Â I couldn't be happier. The rest of the staff was also awesome, everything about the place made me comfortable. People who know me and know exactly what I wanted the tattoo to portray are so impressed and are already asking me for my artists name :) The place was also very clean and professional. Â Overall I couldn't be happier with the entire experience.
Review Source:I went here with my friend and his 16 year old daughter to get her nose pierced. Â The staff was super friendly and didn't turn us away even though they were about to close for the day. Â The piercer (cant' remember her name) was very respectful to my friends daughter and didn't treat her differently because she was young. Â Also my friend has an awesome realistic fish tattoo by Pedro. Â yay for Optic Nerve. Â Please tell all other shops in Portland how to run a business (excluding the Little Tattoo Shoppe which is also amazing).
Review Source:Just finished my third Tim Jordan tattoo! Â Each time I leave more up to him artistically and each time they get better. Â Of course he's been very courteous and professional when I bring him exact plans, but it was sure fun to see what came of giving him just the basics of what I wanted.
The shop is clean and well laid out, the other artists all seem cool, portfolios are always out in the front for perusing, and the jewelry selection is enviable. Â Win win win!
One of the best tattoo shops in Portland hands down!
My friend had a portrait done there by D'Lacie Mcbride and it came out beautifully!
I had been wanting a Lucille Ball portrait as well for a long time. I didn't even think twice about where i should go when the time came! D'Lacie did an AMAZING job! It was a rough 5 hours in the chair, but the outcome is so much more amazing than i can describe! I'm so happy with the finished product, and I would recommend everyone and anyone to this shop! Everyone there is so awesome and outgoing, but their work speaks for itself! Amazing!
Easily without question one of the best Tattoo shops in Portland and possibly one of the best around, period!
This place produces art not just tattoos. Â They are clean, professional, friendly, detail oriented, and creative. The work I've seen come out of them on my own body as well as the happy strangers I see coming in and out is just unbelievable. I've had strangers walk up to me, other tattoo artists walk up to me, and friends walk up to me and closely examine the work I've gotten here all with agape jaws. Â Even to the point of other tattoo artists closely looking them over and going wow, I don't have any idea how he did that! Â Their portfolios speak for themselves.
Also a very notable body jewelry display with staff who are more than willing and excited to help order custom jewelry. All at a price that in almost every case comes out to less than what you would spend at the average mall jewelry shop! Â I had a friend with generic glass plugs nearly cry when I told her my swirly stripey custom ones were the exact same price as hers.
If you have any question as to the quality of this place one conversation with the staff and you're sold.
I took my girls (age 9 & 10) to get their ears pierced with Jeremy about 5 weeks ago. Excellent experience. Jeremy was so careful and concise, perfectly placed the marks and the girls didn't even shed a tear when he used a needle. Incredibly sterile and professional. Their ears were red for about an hour and then they have been absolutely perfect - no redness, pain or swelling, or any fluid leaking. They never even had to clean them. Â I was really amazed. We went the route of using a professional piercer vs. a gun (like Claire's) after doing reseach about the difference. Needles are much more sterile, precise and I think possibly less painful because the guns are so sudden and loud. Jeremy did a great job and I highly recommend him.
Review Source:Jeremy was fantastic. We may not represent the 'typical clientele'. My sister and I brought our daughters (8, 9, and 10) in for their first ear piercing. Jeremy was calm, his timing perfect, his caring evident. He took a good amount of time with each. The girls had a positive first experience and we, as parents, couldn't have felt more confidence in the quality of the service. It was clear how meticulous this owners and staff are around sterility. The place is hip, but never aggressively so. Classy. Cool art. Although we paid a lot more than we would have at 'the mall', we were very glad we made the choice to go with Optic Nerve.
Review Source:Onto day TWO of healing and it's looking good :)
Shea did an AWESOME job! Stopped in here on a rainy visit to Oregon (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/HhXjzL8-Bb57tD7jUMf_qQ?select=MBPPRVY9TJLmk6f8ctRKPQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>), and one of my goals was to go to this place because of the reviews on yelp. I'm always really iffy on going to new places when it comes to tattoo's and piercings, since I stay pretty loyal to the ones I already have, but out of pure curiosity and the need to get my nostril pierced, I swung by this place to see what all the huff n' puff was (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/HhXjzL8-Bb57tD7jUMf_qQ?select=Nv41U2evhUoqUueJzneEJA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>).
They had a cute selection of jewelry (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/HhXjzL8-Bb57tD7jUMf_qQ?select=RMy5TnZ7wU9YHC1r6Q0GvQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>) and an awesome little lobby area where the buddies could sit in.
Shea took me back and was SUPER easy and fun to talk to. Can I just EMPHASIZE HOW CLEAN this place is. I swear, between the five minutes that Shea and I started talking, she washed her hands and changed her clothes EACH TIME she touched me or something else. It was like..... IMMACULATELY clean. Weeeooohhhh!!!! *happy day for Mandy*
Piercing went smoothly and on top of that, Shea was being awesomely educational, saying things like, "you probably already know...but I'll just say it again to be safe...." "I'm sure you've done sea salts soaks before...but here's some more tips...." (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/HhXjzL8-Bb57tD7jUMf_qQ?select=-5boaZl9kqz4JH-kTRw-Nw">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>) Which was AWESOME. I love a place that isn't afraid to educate their clients, because as human as we are, we forget. :) So OPTIC NERVE, you were awesome. High-Five-Star to you(<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/HhXjzL8-Bb57tD7jUMf_qQ?select=zjvXn1Xx1mG4iSxkW53ZgA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>)!!!
Very nice and clean space. SHEA is wonderful. I am slowly starting to get some of my piercings back after my previous employer made me remove them. I saw Shea's portfolio online and this is just a few blocks from my house. I have looked in the window a hundred times. Now that I have a job that will let me do what I want to my body, I started with the nose piercing. Shea is amazing and fun and really knows what she's doing. Call and make sure she's there and then GO. I haven't had any tattoos done there... yet...
Review Source:I am surprised there aren't more reviews of one of Portland's most legit tattoo and piercing shops. They have a fiercely loyal clientele amongst the consistent stream of walk-in appointments.......and I know these people DO Yelp! Where ya at with the reviews?!
Maybe I should shut up. I've been coming to this shop for about 8 years and I've been Yelping for a few months without yet writing a glowing review for the artists responsible for my 85% of my body modifications. SHAME ON ME.
Onward. I started getting pierced here when I was 17 and able to convince my mom to sign for a vertical labret. Hah! This was back when Tracy owned the shop. I have not had anything pierced there since she left only because I kind of lost interest in making new scars. Â I have been getting tattooed here for five years though, and Tim Jordan is my artist.
Amazing. He's done 32 hours of work on me and counting, and his attention to detail is incredible. Painful yes, but worth every penny and hour i've spent in there.
The shop is impeccably clean.
On top of their own original artwork, they display a rotating set of varied local artist's work. Usually bordering on the grotesquely weird and beautiful, which is right up my alley.
Portfolios are available online, like any respectable shop. It's worth your time to go check it out if you're looking to get inked.
I heard about Optic Nerve Arts the way many a tattoo shop is found, from inquiring about a great tattoo on a stranger. Now as you probably have noticed, there are plenty of great tattoo's in Portland, but this one stood out. Clean lines, vibrant colors, great detail, all very important when it comes to body art. The girl that I chatted up had nothing but wonderful things to say about the shop, so I made the mental note to check it out.
Now I had a few tattoo's already, some done out of state, some done here(in OR) and well, some done here and not-so-well. With an idea in mind for the next tattoo I wanted, I made my way across town to Optic Nerve Arts. I was greeted by Tim, one of the shop owners. I told him a bit about what I wanted and he referred me to D'Lacie, who does great work with the organic style I was looking for. At my consultation with her, I clumsily explained my ideas to her. It cannot be easy trying to read a stranger's mind. That day, I came with nothing but a(not so great) description. She nailed it, and could see exactly what I was imagining. On tattoo day, she drew the feather freehand onto my leg and away we went.
I am now the proud owner(wearer?) of 4 tattoo's courtesy of Optic Nerve Arts by 2 of their 4 artists. Also took my babe's to get their ears(2 kids, 3 ears) pierced by Shea Lloyd, who did a lovely job as well. She has a lovely bedside manner with small children and they barely even cried. Both have told me they want more piercings(I may be in trouble...).
I have yet to have even a neutral interaction there. The vibes in this place are good, the artists are skilled, efficient, happy and (from my limited experience) work well together. The shop is clean, and all the artists are on top of keeping it that way.
The prices are reasonable, especially considering the caliber of work. Let's not forget the whole cheap, quick, good dilemma...Or do, but know it's your body that will pay the price. Instead, get a quality tattoo that you will love.
Shea and Optic Nerve are super--even perhaps duper--awesome. Â I rook piercings in both ears done in the last couple weeks, and I'm really happy with both of them.
The location is clean and neat, and did I mention clean? Â Shea went a-handwashin' a couple times, changed gloves and did a great job cleaning the piercing site. Â The piercings were both drama-free and simple, and are healing really well.
I'm really happy with the entire experience. Â Shea is also very personable, Â and professional (and conversational!) in away where it turns off most of the "oh, shoving sharp bits of metal through parts of my body" anxiety.
(Shea also provides/recommends sea salt for post-piercing soaks, which is awesome. Â I am pro-sea salt soaks. Â Also: written aftercare instructions.)
The takeaway: Optic Nerve is a great place to get pierced, and Shea is a great person to get pierced by. Â (That's right: great enough to end a sentence with a preposition for. Â BAM.)
D'Lacie is great! Â She did a small simple tattoo for me just this past weekend. Â It looks great and she was fast and professional, but also nice and friendly. Â I didn't get the vibe I got in some places I went into where they act like you aren't "cool enough" to be there. Â Both D'Lacie and the peircing chic that was there were nice and helpful. Â I'm going back to get a coverup done soon.
Review Source:I came in yesterday to get my nose ring changed to a hoop instead of a stud and I've called many shops in the past inquiring about this since I have to remove it for work. Â I saw Farata she was amazing and told me I could have what I wanted which was a total plus. She was so welcoming and totally put my mind at ease about the whole situation. I will never go anywhere else for my body jewelry needs. I will most def. send my friends here. Thanks for the awesome experience.
Review Source:My friend Tim is a tattoo artist here and Gordon and I went up to Portland to visit and get some ink. I'll put it this way: I've got three tattoos and Tim has only done one of them. I don't think I want anyone else to ever ink me up but Tim!!
Gordon and I gave him pictures of what we were looking for. Mine was an art nouveau motif and Gordon's was a pic of a monkey he found online. I think it was a company logo! After discussing what we wanted, Â Tim sent back a couple of sketches that were amazing. I had only had black and white up til this point and I decided to go with color for this one since Tim is particularly skilled with color. What a great decision. My tattoo is just incredibly beautiful. It took about three hours or so and hurt like the devil because he layered in a lot of colors and had to go over the same spot many times. To his credit, Tim worked quickly while I cursed at him and still created something exceptional.
Gordon went for solid black and was done in less than a half hour. His also came out better than he was even hoping for.
The shop itself was nice- I chilled on the couch after my ink was done waiting for Gordon and feeling like I just worked out.
If you want to see the pics we gave him to see the "before," send me a message!
If you're in Portland (or going to be), go see Tim. He's incredibly talented. He will work with you to come up with the perfect version of what you want. Not only that, but he's goofy and funny and a generally really nice guy. Don't tell him I said that, though. He likes to maintain the tough guy thing. If you want beautiful ink, go see Tim! Tell him I sent you!
I decided to get a second set of piercing in my ears while I was visiting Portland, something I had wanted to do for a long time but just hadn't gotten around to. Â I looked up piercing parlors on Yelp and decided on Infinity Tattoo. Turns out they didn't actually pierce anymore, but directed us towards Optic Nerve Arts instead.
Shea Lloyd was my piercing artist and I think she did an amazing job! She was very patient with me while I had a very stupid moment and thought that I could bring in my own earrings for her to use (I know, stupid, don't ask where my brain was that day).
Once I got my brain back on track, she sat me in the piercing room and started to figure out the hole placement with me. She made her own temporary dye to mark my ears with and was really good about involving me in the whole process. Once we were both satisfied she got all of her tools out (which she sanitizes on-site with some fancy machine that they purchased). I didn't pay too much attention to this part because needles and such make me nervous, but I do know that A) It was fast and B) I didn't feel a thing. After it was done and the earrings were in place I felt the rush of blood to the area, but it never really hurt.
I've gotten tattoos at a couple places in Portland, but always recommend Optic Nerve. Â I had a custom piece done by Pedro and he was absolutely brilliant. Â A great artist who really listened to what I was looking for and went out of his way to make sure I got a tattoo that I would love forever. Â It's been almost three years now and I still get compliments on it regularly. Â There was a six week wait at the time, but that was more than worth it for something that will be with me forever.
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