I'm not trying to be negative or complainy, but I am giving an honest review of my experience at Southern Star Tattoo so maybe it can help the owners or managers if they happen to read it.
A friend came into town and wanted a quick little tattoo that day. She had brought two other friends with her who also wanted tattoos, and I was thinking, "hey what the heck maybe I'll get one too!" I decided to take them to Southern Star because I've never been there before and it looks cool. Well, the vibe was off as soon as I walked in. The shop felt deserted, yet the shop manager seemed to be rushing around and not very interested in talking to me (my friends had already spoken with him and been waiting). I tried to ask questions like "what artists are working today? Where can I look at their portfolios?" and got short, one word responses that didn't leave me feeling any warm secure feelings of being taken care of. I felt kind of invisible and my initial excitement was doused. I was already thinking I wouldn't get a tattoo after all but would hang out with my friends while they did. The artist popped his head out of the back room for a minute to price my friend's tattoo. She wanted a short sentence, no more than 2 inches wide and he quoted her $120/140 (can't remember exactly) and did not appear outwardly interested in her tattoo. My friend and I exchanged looks because that sounded quite high for such a simple piece. I could tell she was bummed and her two friends who also wanted simple script tattoos were bummed and I didn't want their impulse tattoo experience in Atlanta to be like that! So we said "no thank you, we'll pass" and I took them across the street to Liberty where I've gotten several tattoos and have always been satisfied with the price and customer service. We all felt welcomed and taken care of there and we all ended up getting lovely little tats because of it! I know things go on behind the scenes and there could have been any number of reasons for the cold shoulder vibe at Southern Star. I have no hard feelings and it might be a fine shop that was having an off day, but I thought people might be interested to know how four customers were ultimately turned off from choosing to get work done there.
Keet is awesome. I wanted to do a custom 3/4 sleeve and drew up an incredibly crude outline, and he turned it into a masterpiece. It's still in progress and I get compliments all the time. I also had a fairly large piece on the inside of my forearm that had to be incorporated into the sleeve, and he did that beautifully. The shop is just an all together fun place. The guys are very friendly and entertaining. Keet and Ryne always make me feel welcome, and I can't imagine going anywhere else!
Review Source:Had my first piece done here last weekend by Keet. Â I would classify myself as not the typical customer--suburban dad in mid-30s getting my kids/wife put on my upper arm.
What a great experience. Â I had a basic idea of what I wanted and brought in a sketch with a space theme (my kids love it). Â Keet took all the basic elements I wanted, but added the creative/artisic flair that was missing. Â His final work was better than I could have hoped for. Â
He took the time to make sure we discussed/agreed on the design and direction, and was really collaborative. Â I work everyday with "creatives" at an ad agency, and sometimes butt heads on the process to get things right. Â Keet had the balance completely right--wanted to give the customer what I wanted, but used his expertise and experience to make the design read well and looks great.
The shop experience was also fantastic. Â I had my doubts about whether a dad from 'burbs would get laughed out of the building, but everyone was very laid back and down to earth--nobody smirking or too cool for school. Â Artists and customers alike just interested in seeing/doing good, artistic work.
This will most likely be my only tattoo and don't have any other basis for comparison, but can't image a better experience.
I really enjoyed my 1.5 hours spent in Southern Star on Friday last week. Â I am sporting a new three inch tattoo on my upper left arm and it is exactly (maybe better?) what I had hoped for. Â I started thinking about a tattoo back in 2005 and just didn't have an image or a tattoo parlour that I wanted to commit to. Â We moved to Seattle for a few years and when we came back to Atlanta, Southern Star had opened. Â
Southern Star has a great location on Ponce, situated facing the westbound traffic. Â This makes it easy to check it out and contemplate it as you drive to Whole Foods or Home Depot. Â It looks a bit western, without being kitsch. Â It looks big and open, clean and funky. Â Sometimes, you will see the tattoo artists (5 of whom are co-owners) sitting outside. Â
Inside is even better. Â They have a huge counter that feels a bit like a bar and an open area with lots of windows and seats. Â The tattooing goes on in a set of carrels that face open to the counter. Â You can see what is going on and they can see you when you walk in. Â And, they greet you, even if they are busy.
Bill was my artist. Â He got my vision, improved on it without taking it in a different direction. Â He checked for my agreement and gauged my reactions well. Â We embarked on the tattoo and spent the next hour in his carrel, chatting. Â The experience was easier than many haircuts I have had (no hot air, no attitude). Â He stopped to look something up on the internet at one point, to make sure that he captured the image accurately. Â He was careful and wanted to be sure that I was happy with it. Â
You may be wondering about the health/sanitation of it all. Â The place is clean. Â the equipment looked good. Â Bill changed his gloves as needed. Â He answered all of my questions. Â I left with a bandage and good information about how to take care of it. Â I am also sure that I could go back with questions if I need to. Â I didn't do any health department checks and I don't remember seeing anything posted in the waiting area but maybe that wouldn't be cool. Â
I do remember seeing a big sign that says No Crybabies. Â Based on my experience, there shouldn't be any need for you to cry. Â So, if you do, you must be a baby. Â Go and chat with them, make yourself comfortable, and work with them. Â Bill was great.
I went to southern star ready to get a tattoo, but ended up with nothing based on my experience. The "front desk" person seemed completely uninformed about anything I asked. He referred me to 2 different artists, 1 of which said he could recreate the image I had, the other artist said it couldn't be done. When I questioned the discrepancy the "front desk" person responded "there are no liars here. I explained I didn't assume dishonesty, only that I was trusting their professional judgement & asking for clarification...he simply responded "there are no liars here". After such sub par service, we left.....with still no response from the employees. Completely unhelpful & rude
Review Source:I don't even live in Atlanta anymore and I wait to go home to get tattoos from this spot ;) My friends and I should have a punch card for visiting almost every artist in the shop and have never had a bad experience. Â We never have to wait, even though we rarely (if ever) have an appointment. The staff is always helpful, timely, and do an excellent job. Â And they don't overcharge you to do it! I'll continue to make them my mainstay in the ink journey I'm taking my body on.
Review Source:Southern Star is a nice tattoo shop. I went here on a whim to get a simple Arabic tattoo on my forearm. The staff was great, not pushy at all. They actually helped me pick out the exact tattoo. The place is very clean and feels very professional. I would definitely consider them for my next complex tattoo...
Review Source:Liked this place a lot. Still undecided on an artist but these guys are definitely on my "still considering" list. Â Super nice folks at the counter, took the time to help everyone there and it was hopping busy. Â Printed up some graphics for me to give me an idea of space and placement - really took some time with me despite the line out the door. Â It's likely that if I ever kick this thing off, my roll will include Southern Star - cool guys, thanks for the help today!
Review Source:We showed up on a whim to get our first tattoos, and Demian was awesome, helping us work through our rather nebulous idea of what we wanted in order to design a tattoo that we would actually be happy to have on our bodies permanently :-). He was professional and supportive throughout the process, as well as down-to-earth and friendly. Best of all, our tattoos ROCK. Highly recommended.
Review Source:Bill Connor is the man! The shop is bright, clean, & full of great artwork. Everyone there does amazing work so you're in safe hands regardless. Bill will keep ya laughin & never rob your wallet!! They are hands DOWN the best shop in Atlanta.
ps: you walk right in or make an appointment!
I got my second tattoo courtesy of Bill Conner at Southern Star Tattoo on 10/1/11. I was very impressed with how clean the place was and how great everyone I encountered was. All very friendly and personable. I liked that Bill would actually talk to me during the process, unlike my first tattoo experience where my artist (different shop) didn't seem too keen on being friendly, especially to a first timer.
If I ever decide to get another tattoo, I'll return to Southern Star.
These guys are awesome! My boyfriend and I used to frequent Liberty Tattoo for several years, but they happened to be closed the night we road by. On a whim we wandered across the street, only to find out that our favorite tattoo artist, Demian, was working at Southern Star. The shop was super clean and beautifully decorated with traditional artwork. I was almost overwhelmed by how well it was put together. My boyfriend got an original piece drawn and tattooed without an appointment and I got a quick piece done just for a laugh. The experience overall was quick and priced perfectly. We'll definitely be coming back for our future work.
Review Source:So one word....CHRIS!!! (*angelic accapella in background*) so I'm all about the hygiene!!! The place is spotless every time my boyfriend and I go to get inked up. the bathroom is so clean you could lick the floor. Chris is the best!!! Actually they are all fire with the inked dagger but I love his artistic ability and will only let him paint on this caramel canvas...need I say more!
Review Source:First of all, this place is super clean... and the staff is very friendly. Â I wasn't familiar with any of the artists at Southern Star, but they all have great portfolios and reviews so I decided to give them a shot since they're in my neighborhood. Â We went on a Saturday afternoon and were greeted as soon as we walked in... Like I said, the staff is very friendly and personable. Â I brought a design with me and was outta there in less than an hour with a fresh new tat that far exceeded my expectations. Â Eric Thrice was my artist and I highly recommend him. Â I am very happy with his work and I will definitely be back... not once or twice, but Thrice!
Review Source:I've had two pieces done here and really like this place. Â It's clean and the staff are very friendly without the attitude you get from artists at other places. Â One of the pieces was a custom design and I was very happy with it. Â Some of the work healed out after only five months and Eric fixed it with no questions asked. Â Will definitely be going back for future work.
Review Source:It was my first tattoo, got it done a few days ago. Chris did it... he seemed like a nice guy, definitely quiet. But they were able to do it right away, and it wasn't super expensive. Overall a great place --looks it is new, so it could use more reviews! The place is very clean and the people there are nice. Some sketchy types outside the shop, but it is ponce after all...
Review Source:After hearing so many awesome things about this place, It was the first place that came to mind when my friend and I decided to go get a new tat on a whim. Me and her already have tattoos and we just wanted to get a small ice cream cone tat that we knew would probably take like 10 minutes to do. We showed up around 10:40. When we walked in everybody(including their friends) were just standing around and stared at us when we walked in. Nobody said hey or anything. We asked if they were still tattooing They said yea and drew up quick ice cream tats for us. We asked them to make a small change to the ice cream cones and the guy then tells us, " We are actually closed now(they closed at 11:00pm). If there are going to be changes, maybe you guys should come in another time." We did not know they were closing, thats why we asked if they were still tattooing because nobody looked happy when we were walking in. I wished he would've said that when we first walked in because we would have simply come in another day. I told the guy "Never mind then. We can come back another time because I don't want my tattoo to be rushed." I mean it is my body and I can make as many changes as I want. I probably will go elsewheres to get the ice cream tat and another tattoo I've been wanting for years.
The shop is really clean though. so thats a plus!
Maybe i'm a little bias because i've been getting tattooed by Demian for a few years now since his days at Liberty, but I absolutely love this place!!!!
This is definitely a great new addition to the Ponce-Highland-Midtown area. Situated in the same shopping plaza as The Bookhouse Pub, Friends, MJQ, and Drunken Unicorn this shop is ubber clean and spacious, and has some of the most talented and diverse artists in the industry. Each artist has their own unique style and technique, and they're all extremely cool! You've got art work everywhere, each artist has his own station where you can find a book of their work, get a sense of each ones style, and decide who best fits what you're looking for. Also, I don't know why, but i'm really fascinated with the ceiling in the shop. It's a gold tile that I can't quite describe but it fascinates me. Just saying. lol I'm like a kid in a candy store in this place. FYI, despite the pics you see here on Yelp! comfortable cushioned lounges have been added so you have a place to relax if you're waiting on getting a tattoo or if you're waiting on a friend who is getting tattooed. Â
If you've never been tattooed before and are contimplating getting your first please check these guys out. They get 5 stars from me in every category. Like I said, I have been going to the same artist for quite some time now (I have gotten tattooed by others) so that's gotta mean something right?. I could say I may check these guys out again or i'll think about it, but there is no doubt in my mind I will definitely be back. I like these guys so much that I occassionally like to drop in just to say "What up!!!". :oD
Just to add there is a $50 minimum charge and they typically charge up to $150/hour. Just had some work done by Keet last night...it was my 1st time in their new shop location and it is certainly the best one I'd ever stepped foot in. Spacious, clean and inviting with plenty of inspirational art to browse. Keet seems to get faster every time I get tattooed by him.
Review Source:There's a new tattoo shop in town and it's going down on Ponce like you've never seen before. Â The shop is called Southern Star Tattoo, consisting of the talented Keet d'Arms, Eric Thrice, Demian Bouchon, Bill Connor, Brian Gattis and Chris Howell. Â If you've had the honor of getting tattooed by any of these artists, you are one lucky person. Â
There's really nothing like getting tattooed, especially when you're in the hands of a reputable artist. Â My first tattoo from Eric was last January and I've been going back to him since. Â Soon after, I started getting tattooed by Keet. Â Both have spent a good amount of time sketching out my tattoos. Â I wouldn't go anywhere else. Â Wherever these artists go, I follow.
If you're looking for some creative ink, charged at a reasonable price by talented artists, check out Southern Star Tattoo.
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