Local news

Silver Shamrock Tattoo Co. moves to new location along Bellefonte Avenue

LOCK HAVEN -- Clinton County's longest running professional tattoo studio is getting a whole makeover in a brand new location.

Silver Shamrock Tattoo Co., formerly located on 10 Bellefonte Ave., has moved a little further up the road to 495 Bellefonte Ave. -- a place that the owners feel is a better pinch and poking spot through and through.

Silver Shamrock is run by seasoned tattoo artists Freddie Shamrock, Zach Spotts and Ric Sullivan. After six years working in their studio across from Triangle Park, they decided it was the time to pack it up and move somewhere else. Shamrock said that they wanted to get back to more of a private space as opposed to their previous street-style shop.

"Nothing against the old shop, we were there for six years -- the whole big issue was that we were in-between Emma's and Tropical and you kind of get lost in the shuffle a little bit," Freddie explained.

The group says they prefer the new spot due to the private nature of the location, while also staying on the walk path -- technically still downtown -- where people frequent. Along with sectioned out rooms as opposed to the previous shop, the atmosphere is more comfortable and secluded, despite it being close to the same exact size as the old one.

"It was really just about trying to set ourselves out a little bit, plus we had the open street shop for six years," Shamrock said. "We're getting back to a little more of a private space. We've got a bigger open front room and a private procedure room. It is a little more sectionalized out and the vibe is a little more homey which we like."

The shop is also considerably closer to Lock Haven University, making a possibility for more student customers in the future, the group hopes.

"Pre-COVID, we had more locals than college kids. We did really well with the locals when COVID was hitting and we had no college kids. But being on the walk path, we are a block away from Fairview. I think that's going to be a pretty big boom for them," he said.

The other selling point of the new location is a shorter walk for any possible student customers as well as having free on-street parking with no worries of meters.

"We were a little wary about leaving the parking lot we had before but even with that, you are taking breaks every two hours to feed the meters. If you have longer appointments, you are just taking breaks a lot. Right here, you park on the street and it is no big deal and it seems pretty open which is awesome," said Freddie.

The shop is still in the works of getting everything set up, with final touches in tow. Tattoo flash sheets adorn the walls along with an arraignment of tattoo memorabilia, giving a glimpse to the history of the art form which the group takes to heart. The shop is a good representation to each of the artists distinct tattoo styles and interests.

The new shop is inspired by Sullivan's original shop, Ric's Tattoo Studio, before the creation of Silver Shamrock.

"When I started, Ric brought me in '03, when he had his shop. Back then it was very much a biker style street shop but you know friendly, it wasn't like it was a scary or sketchy. It was very much about flash -- tattoo flash with sheets of tattoo designs -- that has gone away a bit over the years," Shamrock explained. "I like the fact that we have regulars that will come in once a month to get a tattoo. Every time they come in, they see something new. It is not like we are changing what's on the walls, it is just that we will cram every square inch so that anywhere you look, you have got something to look at and that to is me, is fun."

When it comes to decorating the studio, tattoo history is a must for the Silver Shamrock guys. Several glass cases in the shop are filled with old tattoo equipment/machines and historical tattoo memorabilia. Shamrock's love of tattoo history has made an imprint on the setup and decoration of the studio.

"I am a history geek, particularly American tattoo history. If you have 20 minutes, I could tell you the history of American tattooing from about 1900 to now with a pretty linear line. We made a point where one wall has a lot of classic flash, classic designs and another wall has a lot more history, classic photos -- a lot of photos from the 20s, 30s, 40s; tattoo guys and gals; classic tattooers," Shamrock said.

Moving Silver Shamrock marks another milestone in the path of the shop's lengthy existence; even before its current title. Sullivan's original shop, Ric's Tattoo Studio, was the first tattoo studio in all of Clinton County which Silver Shamrock sprang from.

That studio opened in 1996 on 217 E. Main St., near where Stella A's is today. Sullivan then moved his shop over to 31 Bellefonte Ave. in 2001, the current location of The Craft barbershop. There is even a tile from the now barbershop hung up on the new shop's wall from when it was their studio.

It was in 2003, when Freddie became Sullivan's tattoo apprentice and developed his craft under his mentorship. Flash forward to 2010, Sullivan retired leaving Freddie to take over the ownership and dawning the now known name, Silver Shamrock Tattoo Co., in 2011. The group left that spot for their previous shop location in 2015. After all of those years, Sullivan has returned with the Silver Shamrock gang in his tattooing endeavors.

For the remainder of this year, Silver Shamrock is celebrating their 10th anniversary of its founding. Along with their anniversary, the group is also celebrating the 25th anniversary of the incarnation of Ric's Tattooing Studio, to honor where it all started.

For the time being, Shamrock said that they plan to stick with the three of them as the main tattoo artists. It is better to keep a small group and know everyone is reliable, he said. Everyone has their own skills and are all around solid tattooers.

"We have a pretty good crew with the three of us," Shamrock said. "My joke is always that my shop runs the way America should run because we are three very different people."

However, the shop is looking to either hire a full-time piercer or a piercing apprentice. Since the three artists primarily stick to tattooing, it is a problem for them to clear a schedule for exclusively piercing.

"The problem is that you're either open to pierce and no one comes in or you get one or two but you just turned away a $300 tattoo. It became much more beneficial for us to keep doing tattoos. We have the gear, we have the space, we have everything set up for it … Piercing is good money and it's fun but it isn't the same as tattooing," Shamrock explained.

Silver Shamrock Tattoo Co. will reopen tomorrow. The studio's hours will be Tuesday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The shop plans to bring Mondays from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. back after the first couple weeks of reopening.