Editor's Note: This article is part of a new online series launched in July 2023 by the City of Gainesville intended to highlight and promote must-try businesses in the area of the historic square in downtown Gainesville, Georgia. As the community continues to flourish and welcome new restaurants, retailers and service providers – especially within the downtown corridor – leadership wishes to introduce available offerings to residents and visitors alike ahead of their next trip to the City of Gainesville. Must-Try Monday features will be released weekly via gainesville.org and the @GainesvilleGeorgiaGovernment (City of Gainesville, Georgia) Facebook page. Be sure to "Like" and follow us on social media so you don't miss the latest and greatest about the Hospitality Capital of the World!
Arte Tattoo Studios | 525 Main St. SW | Noon-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday + noon-midnight Friday-Saturday (closed Sunday)
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (Oct. 23, 2023) – Arte Tattoo Studios prides itself on being Gainesville's only Hispanic-owned tattoo studio focused on photo realism tattoos.
Photo realism tattoos are a meticulous and incredibly detailed form of body art, capturing the essence of a photograph with strikingly realistic and lifelike precision. While artists at Arte Tattoo Studios have won multiple awards for their work, images of their designs speak for themselves.
Learn the ins and outs of Arte Tattoo Studios, what makes it a Must-Try Monday-worthy business and why you should make it a destination the next time you're near downtown Gainesville by reviewing the exclusive Q+A with Owner Elias Mora and Manager Antonio Mora below.
Q: When did your business open and where? If your business has operated at other locations, please list those.
A: We opened [in] December 2018 in Gainesville on Main Street.
Q: How long have you been operating on the historic square in downtown Gainesville?
A: December of this year will be five years.
Q: What drew you to operate your business in downtown Gainesville?
A: Elias and I (Antonio) were both born and raised in Gainesville, so we wanted to open our first business in our hometown.
Q: What kinds of products and/or services does your business offer to the public?
A: We specialize in fine line black and gray photo realism tattoos.
Q: Can you give some examples of unique products and/or services you offer that aren’t easily replicated elsewhere in town?
A: Yes. Many of the tattoo shops around Gainesville do more traditional work. We're the only studio that specializes in fine line black and gray photo realism and does it well. We're also the only Hispanic-owned studio in Gainesville and almost everyone in our studio is bilingual.
Q: What offerings are you most proud of and why? Give us the scoop!
A: We're blessed to have a studio full of talent, and we always are [eager] to give back to the community when we can.
Q: Do you target a specific audience? If so, can you please specify?
A: No, everyone is welcome! We try to make everyone feel like family. We have Google reviews that state that.
Q: If you aim to target everyone, can you please explain how and through what products and/or services?
A: By just treating everyone fair and giving everyone that walks in that door a different experience with the service and the tattoos. They come in with an expectation, and we exceed that the best way we can.
Q: In your own words, what makes your business a positive addition to the downtown cityscape?
A: We're all family! And that's the way we treat everyone.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: We love the City of Gainesville. Being born and raised here, and having a business of our own is a dream come true for us and everyone that has supported our vision. We're also super blessed to be the only Hispanic-owned tattoo studio in the area.
[Additionally], we host many events here at our studio. Our favorite by far is the charity event we do every December where we give out tattoo deals for a whole day and all the money raised that day is donated to a church in Matamoros, Mexico where they buy Christmas gifts to [give] all the kids who are less fortunate.
PHOTO CUTLINE | Arte Tattoo Studios is located at 525 Main St. just off the historic square in downtown Gainesville. Find additional photos shared via the @GainesvilleGeorgiaGovernment Facebook page.