Tattoo shops

Finding a talented and clean tattoo/piercing shop that will do the service for a fair price is difficult to find.

There are over 50 tattoo/piercing shops in Buffalo alone, almost one on every corner.

Most shops are centered on their tattoos, but it has become increasingly popular  and important for a buisness to have at least one skilled piercer.

Wishful Inking jewelry for eyebrow, tongue,
 lip, belly and more.

Shops in Buffalo have piercers that do everything from an earlobe piercing to surface piercings (A piercing that is placed almost anywhere on the body through a flat area of skin).

Their prices range from $20 to $100 depending on what shop you choose and where you choose to put it.

“Our cheapest price is $20 and that would be for something like an earlobe,” said Danny, shop manager and head tattoo artist at Hardcore Tattoo.

Hardcore Tattoo & Body Piercing on 902 Elmwood Ave. have a detailed website that includes piercing prices, the type of jewelry used, healing time and aftercare instructions.

As for Hardcore Tattoo’s tattoo prices, they are determined by the piece. If a piece is big and complicated, like getting a colorful full sleeve, the customer will have sessions.

They give the customer a flat rate for the sessions and determine how many sessions they will take and then move from there.

The shop has a minimum of $38, so if someone were to get a tattoo about the size of a quarter, it would be $38.

Hardcore Tattoo is open Monday to Saturday 1 to 11p.m.

MaddTat2 on 1115 Elmwood Ave. has a piercer with 20 years of experience and knowledge, Tommy Two Times.

Their surface piercings range from $60 to $80 depending on the area. Their cheapest piercing which would be $20 with the jewelry would be an earlobe piercing.

Jared Kirkby, shop manager and tattoo artist said tattoos are charged by the piece.

“Usually we just charge for what they want, but if it’s something crazy big then they will need sessions,” said Kirkby.

“If they need sessions, we’ll give them a flat rate for the amount of sessions which last two to three hours.”

Some of the body modification jewelry from
Wishful Inking

Their shop minimum is $60, but if a customer would want a tattoo about the size of a quarter, the artist will probably encourage them to get something bigger.

“We would do it, but I would tell them to get something bigger and then I would do their small one for free.”

With holiday season being here, on Saturday, Dec. 15^th, 2012, MaddTikiTattoo (Madd Tat2’s second edition on 1432 Hertel Ave.) is hosing the 10^th annual Christmas Party and “Toys for Tats” fundraiser.

If a customer brings an unwrapped toy valued at (at least) $10, they will receive a $20 gift certificate for MaddTikiTattoo.

MaddTat2 is open Monday to Thursday 12 to 8 p.m., Friday to Saturday 12 to 9 p.m. and Sunday 12 to 7 p.m.

At Wishful Inking on 581 Niagara St., Spyder, who has 15 years of experience, does all the piercing with his apprentice, Lindsay Sweeney.

They also do all kinds of piercings with standard piercings such as ear, nose and belly button costing one for $35 and two for $50. As for surface piercings, the price varies depending on where the customer wants the piercing.

“If it’s a big piece it’s done by sessions, if it’s something that’s not so much as time consuming as a big piece, we’ll do it by the size, detail, placement,” said Dom Dubble, senior tattoo artist.

Dom Dubble, Lindsay Sweeney and M-Dot
 hanging out at the shop

Dom Dubble said it is best to see a specific piece before giving a price and often customers call in to get an estimate.

Their latest deal is aiming for college students here in Buffalo. If you bring your student ID, you will receive 10 percent off your tattoo session and $10 off for groups of three or more for piercings.

They also have deals for single parents, senior citizens, groups and "first of the month deals."

Wishful inking is open Monday to Saturday 1 to 8 p.m.

So, if your looking for a great deal on tattoos this holiday season, make sure that you are getting the best ink for your buck!

Boutique Crawl

Many boutiques on Elmwood Ave. participated in Elmwood’s second Annual Boutique Crawl that happens on Black Friday.

The event, (put together by The Elmwood Village Association) gives customers a chance to check out the boutiques and unique shops on Elmwood Ave.

It also gave the shops a chance to gain new customers and showcase their items.

The event began with “Check-in” which began at 8 AM and ran until 11 AM. After, each participant received a crawl "punch card" and map with the list and location of all the shops participating.

A record 40 stores participated this year compared to 32 stores last year.

Debbie Sidel

Bill Sidel, the husband of Debbie Sidel, the owner of Half & Half Trading Company on 1088 Elmwood Ave. said that this year was a success.

“We did something we never did before. We carry this brand called Eileen Fisher and we did special discount on it,” said Bill Sidel.

They also half priced all their sale items.

“Both days were way better than the year before, in my opinion. I would say it was the most successful Friday and Saturday that we may have had.”

Thin Ice, on 719 Elmwood Ave., gave her customers free hot chocolate packets and hot chi tea packets.

Owner of Thin Ice, Therese Deutschlander also participated in this year and last year’s crawl, as well as Small Business Saturday.

She said being a small business, the exposure from Boutique Crawl was nice.

“We were open anyways and it is nice to get new customers into the shop,” Deutschlander said.

Clutch, owned by Sue Marfino, is another boutique that has participated both years.

Marfino said this year she also saw an improvement in sales and new customers.

Her deals this year were a combination of ½ priced jewelry and ½ priced socks, as she did last year.

“I put the socks half priced again because it was a hit last year,” Marfino said.

Marfino said she decided to participate in Boutique Crawl for the same reasons as everyone else: the great exposure as a small business.

Clutch even participated in the Small Business Saturday, giving the same discounts to the customers.

Now that holiday season is here, participating stores are still giving deals on their items to their customers.

Some stores are even staying open until 9pm for the late shopping customers. 

Sweet Treats

With winter already showing its self already here in Buffalo, sweets are still in demand.

Nicholas Ramirez, Assistant General Manager 

and Crystal Frye, Assistant Chef

Sweetshops here are very versatile, selling everything from vegan treats to soups.

With the exception of places like The Cheesecake Factory, Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts, most dessert shops in Buffalo are locally owned.

This means for the most part: lower prices, local treats (such as sponge candy) and the ability to order your desserts directly from the person who makes them.

Locally owned dessert bakery and gelateria Dolci on Elmwood has a variety of treats for vegans, which is a great advantage over competitors.

Dolci has been open by the new owners David Simpson and Richard Bucculeau for 6 years now after the original owner, Mary Dolci owned it for 25 years. 

“The owners are Buffalo natives and they had a passion and idea to open a bakery and gelateria,” said Nicholas Ramirez, assistant general manager.

Not only does Dolci sell wonderful treats, they also have a full café, which includes espresso and latte beverages, homemade soups, sandwiches and salads, breakfast sandwiches, oatmeal, and more.

Their website gives a detailed menu including pictures and prices.

The most popular items are a tossup between their gelato, vegan cupcakes or their Cassata cupcakes.

Their coffee, which is only $1, is their cheapest item, but if you are craving something sweet, their vegan cupcakes are only $2.50.

Dolci's sweet treats which 
includes tarts, cakes and cupcakes

On top of their cheap prices, Dolci also gives 10-20% for students.

Gelateria Luca, who has only been open for 2 months, opened up on Elmwood because it is a nice and popular place to be.

Gelateria Luca is also a great, cheap local restaurant with their owner being completely hands on.

Many of their sweets are Italian sweets with rare treats like rum raisins on their carrot cakes.

The great serving sizes are probably the reason why gelatos are their most popular treat!

“Our gelato and cannoli are popular and cookies are only a dollar,” said Josephine Letizia, owner of Gelateria Luca.

So, if you are ever looking for a late night snack, Gelateria Luca is open most nights until 10pm.

In 1945, Aléthea’s opened in honor of Dean Tassy’s great grandmother, Aléthea.

She was known for her homemade confections in Konzani, Greece and in her honor, they decided to open up a chocolate shop.

“She made confections, not chocolate but out pastries are in her honor and we developed the recipes ourselves,” said Dean Tassy, the owner of Aléthea’s.

Their most popular candy is sponge candy, which is a popular Buffalo treat.

Aléthea’s not only has an active retail store but their online store is very interactive.

On their website, customers are able to choose their candies and have it shipped to their home.

Aléthea’s is a chocolate lover’s heaven and a homesick Buffalo native’s best friend.

Just remember, in Buffalo sweet treats are popular all year around but they are even sweeter when the prices are cheaper.