Mid-Town Tattoo Studio opens in downtown Battle Creek
Downtown Battle Creek will soon welcome a new tattoo parlor, Mid-Town Tattoo Studio.
Jackie Westover and her husband Jesse plan to open the tattoo parlor before the end of the month at 93 W. Michigan Ave., where Sweet Kreations For You used to sit.
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Westover, 32, has been influenced by art for as long as she can remember, but it wasn’t until high school that she became interested in tattooing.
“It truly amazed me how such gorgeous pieces of work could be transferred to someone's skin,” she said.
At 19, she got her first tattoo—a star on her ankle—and she was hooked. Her husband has multiple tattoos. One of their first dates involved getting tattoos together. He got a tribal piece on his calf; she got another star, on her foot this time.
“Tattooing isn't only creating art on your body,” Westover said. “It's about making memories and honoring memories as well.”
Westover once tattooed an 87-year-old woman who had just lost her husband of 69 years. It was the woman’s first tattoo. She wanted to get her husband’s name over her heart and to have his ashes combined with the ink so she could keep a piece of him with her.
“While doing the tattoo, she told me how she met her husband when she was 16 years old and married at 18," Westover said. "She didn't know how to go on with life and said the tattoo would help her get through it knowing he was with her always.
"After the tattoo was done, she looked at it in the mirror and started crying. She then gave me the biggest hug and told me to never take love for granted.”
Westover learned to tattoo for fun. Her husband bought a simple setup and supplies in 2007 so she could practice on fake skin. The next year, she got an apprenticeship and “never looked back.” Westover has worked at Cowboy's Ta2z and Cereal City Tattoo & Piercing LLC.
She says her work is influenced by artists such as Alex Pancho, Chris Rigoni and Steven Compton.
Battle Creek used to have a ban on downtown tattoo parlors. When it was overturned in 2011, Westover decided that she wanted to open her own parlor on Michigan Avenue.
“We welcome diversity downtown,” said Maryann Angelo, the owner of Barista Blues Cafe, which will be Mid-Town Tattoo Studio’s immediate neighbor.
“We need more than just bars and restaurants downtown," she said, "and I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about the young lady and her husband running (Mid-Town Tattoo Studio). I wish them a lot of success.”
At the Dec. 5 City Commission meeting, commissioners unanimously granted Westover her special use permit, allowing her to open Mid-Town Tattoo Studio downtown.
“We welcome the studio downtown,” said Downtown Development Director John Hart. “It's just one more reason to visit and likely they will have later hours. This will help extend the time spent in the business district. It's a win-win for everyone involved.”
The goal is for Mid-Town Tattoo Studio to be a family-oriented store, so kids will be allowed inside under parent supervision.
"Our hope is that everyone will feel safe and at home in our shop," Westover said.
Contact Natasha Blakely at (269) 223-0114 or nblakely@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow her on Twitter at @blakelynat.