We just got back from the Norfolk Tattoo Convention and it was inspiring to visit another city so rich with tattoo history. The Mariners Museum invited us for a viewing of their Coleman treasures which was an extra special honor considering the Coleman Statue is only taken out once a year due to its fragile nature.
On Friday Chuck Eldridge gave a presentation of Norfolk tattooers which really hit home how many incredible historic figures worked in the busy port town just a few blocks from the convention.
After Chuck’s talk I took note of where we were in relation to where the old tattooers worked. Norfolk’s main street was lined with tattooers similar to how the NYC tattooers clustered on the Bowery with most of the NYC tattoo shop locations in just a couple city blocks. The big difference though was the current state of their Main Street versus the state of the Bowery. Main Street in Norfolk is now the convention center and is almost exclusively lined with modern hotels and glass buildings. Such a shame when you look at how cool Main Street was back in the day with very few glimpses of it’s history left. I think the Bowery has actually benefited from its years in decline as our “skid row” which is part of what has preserved much of it’s character. Unfortunately the historic nature of the Bowery is under constant threat of being bulldozed into a future of nondescript glass boxes but for now there are still some gems left with a lot of character still in place.
