KALAMAZOO, Mich. — It's pain by choice— a Kalamazoo tattoo shop is helping domestic violence victims turn scars into art.
At Heirloom Arts, it's not your average therapy session. It includes a needle, ink, and maybe a few tears.
“Everyone tells us what they've been through in some sort of way. We hear everything under the sun, and it's a really wonderful experience because you get to know people so deeply,” said shop owner Mae Risk.
Whether it's a tattoo of an abuser’s name or a burn scar, the shop artists work to help survivors cover them up.
“It can give you the ability to take a part of your body that you might, that might not be your favorite about yourself and put something on it that you love, that you got to choose what goes there,” said lead artist Tempest Anderson.
Risk says Heirloom Arts is known as the “queer shop.” It’s staffed with only women and non-binary artists. “Honestly a lot of us are abuse victims in our own ways, both emotional and physical, and we know how important it is to get things like that covered up and we know how hard it is to live with stuff like that in your daily life,” they said.
Anderson told FOX 17 that the most popular tattoo survivors will request is the a phoenix— a symbol of rising from the ashes.
With the help of YWCA, the shop has been able to provide survivors with tattoos for free or at a significantly discounted rate.
The shop was recently granted the commitment to excellence award from the Kalamazoo Start-Up Center. Mae hopes the shop can continue to be a safe haven for people who need it.
If you’d like to inquire about this service you can do so here, and for a list of YWCA services , click here.
