Chelsea Stowers recently opened C. Rose Ink, a new tattoo shop in Ridgefield, in July.
Stowers opened the shop out of necessity to be closer to home. She previously worked at a tattoo shop in Salem
“I love Ridgefield and I walk there frequently as far as the trails and things like that,” Stowers, who has lived in Amboy since 2018, said. “I thought it’d be really cool to set up here.”
Stowers was inspired to become a tattoo artist after she observed someone close to her working in the craft.
“I’ve been doing fine art for over 25 years,” she said. “I had the opportunity to go to Hawaii and watch my brother do some tattooing. He’s been a tattoo artist for a couple years, and got me thinking ‘you know, it might be a good sort of thing for me to do,’ utilizing my art. I wasn’t really doing anything creative at the time and hadn’t been for a while.”
Before she learned how to tattoo, Stowers worked in the medical records department at PeaceHealth.
Stowers said much of her fine art experience concerned illustrations. She originally studied to be an animator, but some of her teachers encouraged her to take a different path because of the high burnout rate of that industry.
Stowers said C. Rose stands out from its competition because it’s woman, minority, and LGBTQ-owned.
“I just bring a wealth of experience to what it is I do. I absolutely love it,” Stowers said. “You’ll get that personalized touch. It’s very approachable.”
The business aims to have an art studio vibe, which steers away from some of the other tattoo shops that play heavy metal music or are designed in a fashion that can intimidate customers, Stowers said. Customers have provided positive feedback on both the studio and the tattoos that have been inked at C. Rose.
For customers who are more sensitive to pain, Stowers keeps lidocaine liquid on hand to numb the area that will be tattooed.
“If it gets a little intense, we stop and spray,” she said. “I try to make it as soft and easy as it can be, being stuck with needles.”
The most ambitious tattoo Stowers has undertaken so far is a five-piece apple blossom design that was crafted with a stippling technique. She said it took about seven hours to complete. The technique utilizes small dots to form various shapes, patterns and shading.
More information about the business can be found online at crosesink.com.
