Sink or Swim Tattoo, located on the second floor of a commercial building at 1040 Payne Ave., North Tonawanda, is under new ownership, with a familiar face now running the operation.
Former Sink or Swim tattoo artist Keith Kuzara took ownership of the business on Oct. 1, 2015, after working at the shop for nearly four years. Kuzara is a self-taught and award-winning tattoo artist with six years of industry experience.
“I was planning on opening my own shop eventually, when this opportunity suddenly popped up,” said Kuzara. “With the previous owner moving out of state, the timing and situation was right to take over the business.”
Sink or Swim now employs five tattoo artists, including the multi-tattooed owner.
“We all work very well together to create unique and creative artwork,” said Kuzara of his staff. “We’re always giving advice and critiquing each other’s work. When you get a tattoo here, you have five sets of eyes on the job. There are other shops that just want to take your money and get you out, but we like to make it a much more personal and professional experience.”
Kuzara advises those interested in getting “inked” to schedule an appointment for a consultation with the Sink or Swim staff to discuss a variety of options and give the tattoo artist time to do their best work. While they will take walk-ins for small jobs, appointments are always recommended.
“Tattoos can take anywhere from just a few minutes to many hours, depending on the amount of detail,” Kuzara added, “and we’ll only take on projects that we’re comfortable working on.”
“Being new here, I noticed right away the friendly atmosphere,” said tattoo artist Tom Pecoraro. “All of my coworkers are positive, friendly people and very easy to work with. That is reflected in the handling of our customers, too — professional but friendly!”
Sink or Swim Tattoo is open from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, please call 605-7531, email [email protected] or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sinkorswimtattoos716.
