When Dana Forrester got into tattoo artistry she had no idea there would be such a big demand for it among cancer survivors. The demand is so large that she has decided to make it a part of her business, Lucky Monkey Tattoo.
The downtown Ann Arbor-based tattoo parlor is expanding to a new space in Ann Arbor, and opening new shop in downtown Whitmore Lake. This newest space, which will be called Lovely Monkey, will serve women who have survived breast cancer and need nipple tattoos on their surgically reduced breasts.
"We had so many requests over the years," Forrester says. "There is such a huge demand for it."
Lucky Monkey began dedicating one day a week to providing the service. A new tattoo artist, who started working at Lucky Monkey a few years ago, had trouble drumming up traditional tattoo business so he started doing the nipple tattoos. Demand quickly filled up his schedule. Forrester and her team are now training and recruiting tattoo artists to provide that same service at Lovely Monkey, which is scheduled for later this fall.
Forrester is in the process of purchasing a storefront on Main Street in downtown Whitmore Lake. The Whitmore Lake resident sees the small downtown as a prime area for redevelopment considering its location between Ann Arbor and Brighton. Plus, it will be an easy place for her customers to get to.
"For that kind of service women will travel from all over the state," Forrester says. "Whitmore Lake is very underdeveloped."
Lovely Monkey is not your average tattoo parlor. Forrester plans to avoid the stereotypical guy-centric decor of skulls, motorcycles, and bright colors. In its place she wants to make something women will feel at home in.
"It's going to have an art deco sensibility, but very feminine," Forrester says. "We want to make it inviting for women."
Lucky Monkey Tattoo opened in downtown Ann Arbor 2002 at 308 S Ashley Street. Forrester has watched the downtown grown and the rents go up with it. So much so that she knew she had to find a new home sooner rather than later. She recently closed on the purchase of the old G&H Barbershop storefront on the city’s west side with plans to move there this fall after her lease downtown runs out.
"It's affordable," Forrrester says. "Frankly, there wasn’t much on the market we could afford."
Source: Dana Forrester, owner of Lucky Monkey Tattoo
Writer: Jon Zemke
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