Well Hello There Reno!!
Tap tap tap...(on the microphone)
Is anyone out there?
Have you all left us?
We apologize for the not so brief intermission here.
We are back up and running again.
Thank you for the support and patience you've given us while we got our shit together!
We are so excited to come back with a tattoo story of a shop here in town that is currently celebrating it's 20th anniversary.
Many of you that we have interviewed have been mentioning the amazing artists at Aces Tattoo, and so we thought it was high time we saw for ourselves what all the buzz is about.
And we can honestly say, things really are literally buzzing over there.
Ya know from the tattoo machines?
Ok moving on...
(Artist Jonny Mccann)
Aces Tattoo - Reno, NV - Est. 1995
Many of you that we have interviewed have been mentioning the amazing artists at Aces Tattoo, and so we thought it was high time we saw for ourselves what all the buzz is about.
And we can honestly say, things really are literally buzzing over there.
Ya know from the tattoo machines?
Ok moving on...
In Reno's tattoo history, Aces Tattoo is a shop that has a rich legacy as one of the oldest shops on the block.
What sets this shop apart is the long-standing friendships weaved through the years of its owners and artists. Reaching back to high school, there is over 30 years of personal history.
(Artist Rob Roy)
It's no wonder this community tattoo shop has been rated a top shop for several decades here in Reno.
Aces tattoo originally opened up on July 5th 1995,
under the name of Aeros.
Twenty years ago, the city of Reno had a moratorium that required all tattoo shops to be contained on Wells street. This explains why there are so many shops on Wells street.
under the name of Aeros.
Twenty years ago, the city of Reno had a moratorium that required all tattoo shops to be contained on Wells street. This explains why there are so many shops on Wells street.
(Artist Sean Hansen)
When shops could open outside of Wells, Aces was one of the first shops to relocate from Wells to their current location on 681 South Virginia Street.
The name changed and so did the location.
The original artists - Kevin Cox, Rob Roy, and Jared Isenberg are all currently still at Aces and thicker than thieves these days!!
It is a rare breed of artists to stay 20 years together, wouldn't you agree?
Native Reno-ite and one of seven artists at Reno Aces, Ron Rash said that when the shop first opened on Wells, there were only two other tattoo shops in Reno; Shadowbright, now called Sting Ray and Body Graphics, the oldest shop in Reno.
Now, they are the tattoo legends of Reno.
Interestingly enough, Aces tattoo brought their skateboarding history with them to the new address, subletting a part of the shop to a friend of theirs from the 80's who opened the Classic Skate Shop next door.
Native Reno-ite and one of seven artists at Reno Aces, Ron Rash said that when the shop first opened on Wells, there were only two other tattoo shops in Reno; Shadowbright, now called Sting Ray and Body Graphics, the oldest shop in Reno.
Rash said they all started out as punk rocker kids who loved skating, art, and the whole rebellious scene that tattoos were associated with back in the day.
Now, they are the tattoo legends of Reno.
Interestingly enough, Aces tattoo brought their skateboarding history with them to the new address, subletting a part of the shop to a friend of theirs from the 80's who opened the Classic Skate Shop next door.
"We all grew up together. We used to be in the same scene," Rash said. "We were all skateboarders. We were all kids here, just artsy dudes in Reno."
(Artist Kevin Cox)
Just out of high school, Kevin Cox, current co-owner of Aces Tattoo, left for art school in San Francisco. From there, he spent time in Santa Cruz and got his start in the tattoo world working with Staircase Tattoo. At the same time, Rob Roy, the other co-owner started to learn tattooing on the side in Reno. Before long, Kevin helped Rob open the original shop in Reno. The third party still standing was Jared Isenberg, who apprenticed as soon as the doors opened on Wells. The three have continued to tattoo together for 20 years.
Aces Tattoo currently has seven artists working in the midtown shop, Kevin, Rob, Jared, Jonny, Ron, Jake, and Sean.
While Aces continues to do well in Reno, Rash said it was different when the shops first started in Reno.
"I think it has something to do not only with the scene in Reno, but also the era," Rash said. "Back then it was a much different thing to get into than it is now. This was the era of pre-reality shows. It was more of the outlaw scene. We were just punk rock kids. The Tattoo scene itself in the 90’s was much more tied together. It was really difficult to have a career as a tattoo artist back then and it was just a different type of scene."
This past Friday night, the shop was open for family, friends and customers to come and enjoy free food and drinks to help celebrate this very eventful anniversary.
(Artist Jared)
We hope you were able to go down, and celebrate with them, but if you haven't ever checked out this awesome team of tattoo artists go give them a look you won't be disappointed!
681 S. Virginia St. Reno, NV 89501 - (775)333-0915 - info@acesreno.com
No..el and Jen
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