Trenton tattoo shop raises money for childhood cancer: 'Tattoos for St. Jude'
Under the leadership of owner Sadie Comer, "The Tattoo Garden" held its inaugural charity event on Saturday raising money for St. Jude Research Center.
Tara Thomas excitedly shared that she was receiving her first tattoo at Saturday's fundraiser after seeing the post on social media.
"I had it planned really since the day I saw it," she said. "I've always wanted to get one because I'm in my 40s and have never gotten one and we've always been big supporters of St. Jude."
Assuming that she may not be able to choose her design, Thomas says getting the tattoo was more about knowing that you're helping people.
"I said 'That's my sign, I'm going to get it.' It's fun anyway to do something like this but that just makes it worth it," she said.
Spawned from an idea Comer had on a whim and limited to marketing through Facebook, she wasn't sure of the success the fundraiser would have. She and one other artist tag-teamed the tattoos of the eager people lined up first thing in the morning.
"We were so swamped when we opened," she said. "Everybody was here at 10 and all together I think we've done 11 or 12 tattoos today."
A tattoo artist of three years, Comer opened her aesthetic, foliage-adorned shop in the heart of Trenton's downtown in March of this year, and giving back in some way has been on her entrepreneurial agenda since day one.
"I know a ton of shops that do events, but I've never seen one do a fundraiser event," she said. "It's been more than I could have ever asked for."
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Based on the success of the "Tattoos for St. Jude" event, Comer says she plans to raise money for a different cause every summer.
"It won't just be St. Jude, so next year I plan to do something whether it goes towards the homeless or hungry. I'm a sucker for pets so I thought about doing something like that one year," Comer said. "Anything like that just to grab the attention of somebody who has been through something."
Clients could choose from a range of small flash-sheet designs, each $100 and with 50% of proceeds benefitting St. Jude.
More than $600 will ultimately be donated.
The Tattoo Garden is located at 204 Northeast Court Square and is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
Sarah Best is a reporter for The Jackson Sun. To support local journalism, subscribe to the Daily Briefing here
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Trenton tattoo shop raises money for St. Jude Research Center
