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Tattoo convention kicks off Friday

By Gwen Sour 4 min read

MARIETTA -- Tattoo artists and customers gathered Friday for the second Bizarre Bazaar Tattoo Convention, which has grown from a parking lot market into a weekend event featuring more than 100 artists.

The three-day convention continues through Sunday at Tower Event & Conference Center, 400 Tennis Center Drive, with tattooing, vendors, competitions and entertainment.

Organizer Chase Chovan estimated 110 to 115 artists were participating, with some representing the same shops or sharing booths from locations across the globe including Italy, Puerto Rico and states across the country. The convention moved into a larger space this year after its first year exceeded his expectations.

Chovan said the idea originated about seven years ago with a market outside his shop, Monkey's Uncle Tattoo. After years of organizing the bazaar, he decided to expand it into a tattoo convention.

A Marietta native who spent years away before returning, Chovan said the event brings together experience gained during 37 years in the tattoo industry. He credited organizing partner Meg McAtee, a former apprentice who works at Monkey's Uncle, with handling many of the convention's details.

"I just wanted to contribute and be a productive part of society. This is my way of doing it," Chovan said.

He also hopes the convention helps visitors see tattooing as a professional trade and challenges outdated stereotypes about tattoo shops.

"It's a professional business like any other," he said.

For Summer Reynolds, an Athens resident, the gathering offered a chance to find artists and designs for spaces remaining in her tattoo sleeve and to begin getting tattoos on her legs.

"I've been saving up and there's tons of different artists so I can shop their flash to find the right pieces," Reynolds said.

Flash refers to predrawn tattoo designs customers can choose from an artist's collection.

Terry Morgan, a tattoo artist from Frederick, Md., said he decided to attend after his friend Billy White recommended the convention. White participated last year, Morgan said.

Asked what he enjoys about conventions, Morgan pointed to the opportunity to reach new customers and spend time with other artists.

"All the exposure and hanging out with my friends," he said.

Morgan said many of the artists know one another, while others use the gathering to build relationships.

The convention also brought in people whose work supports tattoo artists, including Rich Thomas, known professionally as Rich T, of Bicknee Tattoo Supply in Bidwell, OH.

Thomas said the business grew out of his interest in understanding tattoo machines. He began assembling machines with frames purchased from other manufacturers before making his own parts and winding coils.

He and his wife built the company together, creating jobs for relatives and longtime friends.

"We both bring something to the table, and I couldn't do it without her, and she couldn't do it without me," Thomas said.

Thomas also operates the Ohio Tattoo Museum in the same building as the company's warehouse, with a separate entrance. He said he began collecting tattoo-related items in the mid-1980s, and his interest in preserving the industry's history is reflected in the books his company sells.

The weekend also includes a fundraiser through a pinup contest sponsored by Hot Tomato Portraits. The contest is scheduled for 2-4 p.m. Saturday.

Emcee Kelli Chovan said money raised through public voting will be donated to EVE Inc., a Marietta organization serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Contestants' photos and QR codes have been shared online for several weeks to collect votes and donations.

Chovan said the fundraiser continues a tradition established at the original parking lot markets, where vendor fees supported local causes, including a West Side food pantry.

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