Jimbo 

 

Hi! I am the owner of Body Branding Tattoo Emporium in Naples Florida. Body Branding Established in 1994. I have been affiliated with the National Tattoo Association since 1997. I am also a member of the Association of Professional Pierciers. 

I would say my interest in tattoos all began in 1976 in Stamford, CT. I was friends with Tony Esposito and he was just getting started  with tattooing so I volunteered my arm and got my first tattoo. I watched him tattoo lots of people right into the 80;s and paid close attention. In 1977 I also wandered into Big Joe's Tattoo Parlor in Mount Vernon, NY. Although I had no real thoughts of being a tattoo artist then "The Experience" I had there had always made me say to myself "I'd like to have a place like this someday Chic's, tats, & bikes, everything I liked." Well what could I say?

In the late 70's to early 80's I was collecting tats and paying attention to the artist. In those years I've studied several people tattoo "Shorty" from Port Chester, NY. A women known as Lee Kutamsh in Bedford, NY and of course my friend Tony Espositio in Stamford, CT.  As the years went on I had gotten lost in life I had been riding with a club, then I had gotten married in the mid 80's and had two kids. At that point I realized my kids would be in school soon and the schools were not so good in that area. I was also working  for the city of Stamford as an Incinerator Operator breathing dust everyday. I wanted something different for as far as a job for me.

So in 87 we loaded up and moved to Naples, FL. sunshine and palm trees. Soon after arriving here I started a bike shop called "Jimbos Hog Parts" little did I know a divorce was right around the corner, which had forced me to close my bike shop but sometimes a bad thing is really a good thing in disguise. I had to move out of the beautiful house I just had bought a year and a half earlier. The ex got it. Meanwhile I met a girl who I became good friends with, Suzy was a person who you could just talk to. 

Well one day Suzy says "Jimbo you've talked about the experience you had with tattooing in the past do you think you could teach me what you know about it, if I buy the proper equipment?" So, naturally I said sure. She went out and bought the Spaulding & Rodgers deluxe set-up with tattooing A-Z, sterilizer and all, we even got the Revolution Machine. Thank God we had an orange tree in the backyard. We tattooed 500 times more oranges then we actually ate off the tree.

As time went on friends that seen the oranges all over the house started asking for us to ink them up. We followed Hucks Spaulding's Book (Tattooing A-Z) like it was a bible. We also had local artist we've studied like A.J. Johnson now owner of Looking Glass Tattoo in Bonita Springs, FL. Also Ed "Cash"Coventry would come to Naples and do tats at Mickey's Place it was always a treat to watch him tat. He was definitely one of my inspirations, to aspire, to truly commit myself to this trade. Along the way I also met Deano but at this pint Suzy wasn't keeping up or being serious about tattooing so I palled around with Deano for a while. I had set up a studio in my house and got a few machines from Big Joe. While Deano did the party scene, I didn't like to  move around as my set up was all in my house studio and sterilization is one of my biggest concerns at the time.

During the day I had a pressure cleaning business and the nights we spent in the studio tattooing we were doing lots of work, but one night out at the bar Deano said to me, I bet you a dollar you couldn't open up a legitimate tattoo parlor in Naples, as it was widely believed tattooing was illegal in Naples. I took the bet. It took me almost two years of researching State tattoo laws as well as local ordinance on tattoos and fighting the county commission, but eventually I got the call saying my license has been issued and I could open the first Tattoo parlor in Naples. That was in 1994. Then the ball was really getting rolling, and I was open for business legally. Also still operating the pressure cleaning business, after four months I realized I couldn't be out al morning doing the cleaning thing and then coming to the parlor. I sold the cleaning business in 95, and strictly did tattoos from then on.

A year or tow later I met Todd Vargas, he needed to work a little while. As he was visiting a relative in Naples, so I gave him a chair to work in. We got talking about National ne day. I wanted to become a member so he put the call in for me while he was here.

One of the other challenges I was up against was the growing demand for body piercing, so as fate would have it Nemises a piercing shop owner from Seattle, WA wandered into my shop and wanted a place to start out, so we made a deal for me to learn piercing from him while he got established in the area.

After a year or so I felt comfortable with the body piercing and a shop came open in Ft. Myers Beach, so Nemised moved on.

Shortly there after I heard about the Association of Professional Piercers and the strict criteria the have. I always liked to be in the forefront of the field especially when it has to do with sanitary issues of this trade.

I forgot to mention we got the name for the shop because I was doing a little research on Branding it wasn't really popular in the early 90's so I thought what a great name of the shop as I suspected the threadiness might catch on the East Coast. I have done quite a bit of it, but to this day it is not a mainstay of our operation.

As of recent I have become a little more familiar with Bill Hannon and Sailor Bill which are NTA members. Both have encouraged me to become a member of the Artist Guild.

I'd just like to say thanks to all of the others who have helped me get where I am today. Especially my lovely Heather who stands by me no matter how many people have to undress in front of me. She knows that I love and live tattoo's. This is my life and she's the on the ride till the wheels fall off. "Nothing else Matters" By the way Deano still owes me $1.00, I guess it's okay I've made it up a thousands times over.