TRR photo by Tom Kane Tattoo artist Dave Roberts works on a tattoo in his store. (Click for larger image)

Tattooing is catching on

By TOM KANE

HONESDALE, PA — Tattooing, once the province of motorcycle toughs and navy seaman, is spreading to the wider population.

That fact bodes well for co-owners Dave Roberts and Tim O’Neil of Talisman Tattoo, which is celebrating its first anniversary.

“Business has been good. More and more people are getting tattoos. Women are getting tattoos much more readily than in previous years,” Roberts said.

“People want to express themselves, express their beliefs,” said Bill Halstead of Honesdale, who was having the word “cowboy” tattooed on his stomach.

“It’s an expression of your freedom,” he said. “It’s like being proud of who you are and what you believe.”

Halstead said he is a cyclist and loves the lifestyle. His left arm displayed a tribal band of Native American origin that went all the way around.

Why “cowboy?”

“I like the cowboy life,” he said. “I ride a horse—a steel horse.”

People get tattoos when something memorable happens to them, like the birth of a child or the death of a parent, Roberts said.

“We don’t recommend having the name of your lover tattooed on you,” he said. “If people want it, we’ll do it, but things change but you can’t change the tattoo. It’s there for life.”

A tattoo is reversible but it costs a fortune, he said.

There are two kinds of tattooers.

“There’s the artistic tattooer and there is the ordinary tattooer. It takes at least 10 years to be an artist tattooer,” Roberts said. “I’ve only been at it for three years. But that’s my goal.”

Talisman Tattoo is located at 112 Tenth Street, off Main Street. The telephone number is 570/253-9337.