COVINGTON, Ga. - For 10 years now, Tiki Tattoos has offered quality tattoo and body art services for the Covington community, inking the designs of clients’ dreams on their bodies.
Owner Beth Rockmore became interested in tattoos through a mutual friend.
“It started 20 years ago. I had a friend that was in the business and he encouraged me to learn how to do it,” Rockmore said. “I have always been an artist, but not always a tattoo artist. I used to draw and paint and sell my work. My friend knew that, so he encouraged me to transition into body art.”
Rockmore took steps to build her experience in the industry. She worked at several tattoo shops before opening her own business.
“When I was working, there weren’t a lot of female tattoo artists. It was kind of hard working in shops dominated by men. It was so competitive. So, I decided to open my own tattoo shop,” Rockmore said. “I had my dream car, a vintage Corvette. I sold the car to get the money to start the shop with.”
Rockmore decided to set up shop in Covington, a town familiar to her and her family.
“When I was a child, I lived in Covington. I loved the little town. I thought it would be a great place to plant roots. So, we moved to Covington and opened the shop,” Rockmore said.
She got the name, “Tiki Tattoos” from her love for all things Hawaiian.
“Me and my family are very close. My children were teenagers at the time. We had a family meeting and we all voted on the name. We thought of the word ‘tiki,’ a Hawaiian term which means ‘tattoo’ in other cultures and I used to collect Hawaiian Tiki masks. So, we choose that name. It sounded perfect,” Rockmore said.
Tiki Tattoos offers a range of body art services, including tattoos, both traditional and custom and piercings.
“We do custom tattoos and we also do coverups, if people have really bad tattoos, we can cover it up with another design,” Rockmore said.
“We do most piercings. We have a master piercer that comes in about once a month. He is able to do any kind of body piercing you can imagine. We also sell body jewelry for piercing,” Rockmore continued.
Tiki Tattoos thrives to offer quality service to new and old clients. If you have an idea for the tattoo you want to get, Beth and her staff can help guide you through the process for your dream tattoo.
First-timers to the shop should have no worries too.
“We are good with first-timers who have never gotten a tattoo. My staff is educated and skilled at explaining the process and making the procedure feel more relaxed,” Rockmore said.
Rockmore enjoys being a tattoo artist and creating new pieces of art.
“I like to do traditional ‘old school’ tattoos. I enjoy doing pin-up girl designs,” Rockmore said. “Sometimes our clients will tell us the story behind their tattoos when they are in the chair, getting tattooed. Those are the kind of stories that stay with you.”
As her business has reached its 10th anniversary, Beth is happy with everything she has achieved in her long career.
“I am surprised we lasted this long, especially as a tattoo shop in a small town. It’s kind of unusual. I am proud of that,” Rockmore said.
Tiki Tattoos’ hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday from 12 - 8 p.m.
