After a nearly 20-year career as tattoo artists, husband and wife Chad and Annie Jones decided to let the ink dry for now and pursue their dream of opening an alternative-type clothing store on Covington’s historic square.

Their store, Dizzy Dame, offers a variety of new, used, and vintage wear, a plethora of ’80s rock and punk-rock T-shirts, and other fashion items for men and women. Their aim, the couple said, is to motivate customers to take just about any piece of clothing, blend it with other pieces, and create a personal style.

The Jones opened their business in April after closing their tattoo shop in Covington, a move Chad described as “spontaneous.” Chad said he and his wife had talked about opening a clothing store since attending Newton High School (they graduated in 1994).

In their new venture, they also brought on Wendy Davis, who worked for them previously as an assistant manager and tattoo artist.

Since opening, Chad said Dizzy Dame has attracted a variety of customers, including a lot of young people.

“Our thing is to just bring a different crowd of people to the historical district or the Main Street area…to make it more friendly for youth,’’ he said.

“You have to bring stuff in here that will bring them in, because they will be the ones who will be shopping here in 20 years.”

Annie said the couple based their inventory on memories of stores they visited in Atlanta’s Little Five Points as teens.

Those stores featured vintage-type clothing, including some ’80s rock and punk-rock garb.

Since Covington is home to the Joneses, they decided the downtown square would be home to their new venture.

However, Annie said the store is not just there to sell clothing. It also “gives a place for the kids to come and shop and also come and talk to us as straight-edge adults (those who don’t use drugs or alcohol) and see that no matter how they look now or are frowned upon, that they can come and bring their individuality into their adulthood and still go for their dream,” Annie said.

In the future, the Joneses said, they plan to expand their offerings to include vinyl records, body-piercing jewelry and “skater-type” shoes such as PF Flyers, VANS and Converse. They also hope to host concerts and other events for youths on the square, Chad said.

Dizzy Dame is open Mondays through Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.