God dammit Jim.
While you may be referring to the shop I’m in with some indignation, I have to agree with you. Hooligan Tattoo has been in operation for a little over a year now. Within a couple miles, we’ve recently had at least two other shops open up. Aside from those, and handful of others have opened their doors in the surrounding vicinity.
There’s not much you can do about it. Whether or not there is currently a market for tattoos able to support so many shops is debatable. Innevitably some will close- due to poor management, financial reasons, reputation, etc. I would much rather see less shops, higher quality artists, and a more supportive local community. Oh well… as long as there’s TV shows, clothing and accessory lines, and the like, there will money-hungry entrepreneurs trying to make a quick buck.