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HOLLYWOOD STARS TATTOO . NEXT TO LAX . 310-338-0278

 

For more info on the Artist and the Shop checkout our blog  @ http://hollywoodstarstattoo.wordpress.com/

You are in the presence of the Blessed, and we are Blessed with your presence.

Thank you for choosing HOLLYWOOD STARS TATTOO!

Hollywood Stars Tattoos

Great Art and Good People

Interview by David Ross

 

At Hollywood Stars Tattoos, friendliness is next to godliness. Erik Gutierrez, the co-proprietor at HST, likens his shop to the famous Boston bar Cheers, telling us, “It’s a place where everybody knows your name. When you walk in you have everybody greeting you all at the same time.”

 

Hollywood Stars Tattoos is a family endeavor in every sense of the word. Erik started the business with his brother Luis who shares Erik’s vision for success, and the common goal of strengthening their family bond.

 There are eight members in the Gutierrez family, and though his mother tried her best to not let on that she was struggling to raise her children, Erik felt the need to lessen the family’s financial burden. At the age of 13 he began to tattoo so his mother could have a little extra money.

 Feeling the need for discipline in his life, Erik joined the Marines at age 19. While in the service, he developed a plan for his life that would insure a positive path for his future, as well as keeping his family together. This plan included opening up his own tattoo studio.

Upon leaving the military, Erik began honing his craft as a tattoo artist and businessman by working in local shops. This experience helped him figure out what he would eventually want his studio to be like, and at the same time showed him some of the mistakes he would be sure to avoid making as a shop owner.

Erik’s artistic vision and passion for his craft, as well as the belief that he had something important to offer the world fueled his desire to take the plunge and open his own place. With enough lessons learned and money saved, Erik was finally ready to open Hollywood Stars Tattoos.

The owner feels that what sets their shop apart from other studios is that there are no barriers of gender, class of wealth between the artists at HST and their clients.

“We are able to portray each individual’s needs,” says Erik, “in order to bring to life the deep significance that holds meaning to the individual, such as representing one’s heritage, memorializing a loved one, traditional ancient cultures, elegant simplicity, cheerful humor, serious and elaborate composition and various, countless styles, thus creating visual masterpieces in the world of body art.”

It was not long after their doors opened that HST’s reputation for doing quality work and providing a safe, clean an positive atmosphere for their clients were cemented. 

“We have a growing proliferation of artists at Hollywood Stars Tattoos who are known as masters of the art and celebrities in their own right. Then there’s the growing popularity of using the body as a canvas to ornament the skin with a range of colors and esthetics. What I mean is that even though the artists here don’t have the celebrity status, our clientele has grown significantly due to word of mouth, or just the fascination with what they see on past clients. That is how we publicize, and it speaks for itself. We get people from all walks of life, from bikers to punk rockers, and from corporate professionals and celebrities to suburban housewives. The fascinating world of body art reaches all facets of society, and that is who we see walking through the doors of HST.”

Aside from the work being done at HST, Erik cannot emphasize enough that another main attraction to the Gutierrez studio is the atmosphere that is created by the presence of his family members.

“The studio is a family-oriented establishment,” Erik states proudly, “where on any given day you will find our brothers and sisters and their children hanging out. To the HST family, the studio is a symbol of our accomplishments. We believe that with loyalty and family values we can come together to reach a common goal without letting the past influence the future. I want to show the utmost love and respect for my brothers and sisters, Julisa, Ivan, Maria, Luis, Johnny, Krystina, and Joanna.  With all my heart I thank my mom and dad for being there and showing us continued support.”  and to Kana,Art,Darnel,and the rest of the crew at

Hollywood Stars Tattoos

9200S. Sepulveda Boulevard

Los Angeles, California 90045


 

 

Hollywood Stars Tattoos,  is a Los Angeles County favorite and a life-long dream come true of owner Erik Gutierrez. A product of the streets of Los Angeles, Erik started to perform tattoos at the ripe old age of thirteen. He gained interest watching an “old man” tattooing a girl from his neighborhood. As he watched, he thought to himself how lucky that man was to making that pretty girl even prettier and getting all that attention at his age. He wanted to have that experience; he wanted to be recognized in the community in the same way as that man. He immediately started scratching out tattoos on friends and neighbors. Soon after, one of his best friends gave him access to a “real” tattoo machine, and from than on he just strived to get better.

“The thing that got me hooked was knowing that someone would always have something of me on them,” said Erik. During our interview, we reminisced about the times before tattoo artistry was all about making money and getting what some star had in a movie. “In the beginning for me, it was about getting exposed. I really didn’t charge money for my work.” He went on to say that his family often asked him why he tattooed, because that was for gang bangers and loose women. But, for Erik, hustling his tattoo work became a way to feed himself, a way to get what he needed, and a way to be remembered. Studios weren’t really regulated then, and he made his way around the neighborhood taking care of his business. But times have changed, and so has Erik.

At age 19, he felt he needed some discipline in his life to prevent his family from being right about the type of person he would end up becoming if he stayed with tattoos, so he joined the Marines. He continued to hone his artistic skills in the military, even in boot camp, where he tattooed his Senior Drill Sergeant. “That was risky,” he said, “I was nervous.

“The Marines were a great learning experience for me. I got to tattoo in Japan, Spain, Italy,France, Greece , Albania and Africa.” He talked about his experience in Japan as if it were yesterday.  People flocked to me to get work done.” After a while, he would hear rumors about himself, and could sit down to listen to the Marines talking about how they heard about the “tattoo guy” on base. He spoke about some real-life lessons. “I went from a nothing enlisted man to a man with insight about the work, brotherhood and trust that I had not had before. It was an experience like no other.”

However, throughout his time in the service, he continued to plan for his own studio. Once he returned to the states, he worked in his first studio in North Carolina, where he credits the female owner for teaching him about the business end of tattoo artistry. “She knew what I wanted to do, so she let me learn from her.” Continuing to follow his dream, Erik kept in contact with Veterans Affairs after he left the Marines and returned to Los Angeles. He was told that when he left the military, he could get a loan to start a business. But when he attempted to do that, he was told something different. The VA only wanted to give loans for homes or college. He was disappointed and didn’t want to give up on his dream, so he went to a local studio with photos of what he had done in the military and got another position in a studio.

Erik said of this experience, “This taught me some of what not to do.” His life in the military had steered him away from some old school habits. He could no longer feel good about some of the things he saw around the studio. He said that he didn’t participate in the competitive nature of the artists he was around. “There was a lot of competition between the artists,” he said. Erik tried the same type of camaraderie he had experienced in the military. “I shared my customers and wanted everyone to be considerate.” That just didn’t work out, but he made some good friends along the way.

Erik opened Hollywood Stars just under five years ago, and it continues to gain recognition in the community. “At the shop, I try to create an experience for people,” says Erik. “It’s more like a living space than a tattoo shop.” The studio is located right next to LAX, and gets lots of exposure.

Erik is known for his artistry and his leadership in the development of the HOLLYWOOD STARS TATTOO FAMILY. He says that the “brotherhood” of artists share the morals he wanted to see in the other studios he worked. “We are equally coming up in the industry and we call each other brothers. The group includes KANA ,ART ,DARNELL ,LT. PAZ , MAURICIO , RYAN, and ERIK. They have all gotten to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses , they understand the benefit of sharing knowledge and growing together.