Dana Carlson.
After a short-lived stay up the street, a Brookland Park tattoo shop has just upsized its studio.
Nostalgia Tattoo recently relocated to a larger space at 214 W. Brookland Park Blvd.
The move into the 1,200-square-foot storefront was an unexpected pivot for the business, said owner Dana Carlson.
The VCU grad opened Nostalgia Tattoo last July in a smaller space further down the street on West Brookland Park Blvd. But with what she describes as issues in the building such as mold, mildew and defective heating and cooling, she said she decided to look for a new home for Nostalgia.
“It just wasn’t something I was willing to endure long term,” she said of the issues. “This is a pretty hard pivot for my business, which has kind of been forced into a period of growth.”
Carlson, who also lives in the neighborhood, said she was hoping to stay in Brookland Park when she saw the new space go up for lease late last year. She moved out of the old space in December and reopened in the new spot in recent weeks. She said there’s plenty of upside to her new digs.
“This new building is larger. Fortunately, it’s also in much better condition. With that additional square footage comes a lot of new possibilities,” she said.
Nostalgia Tattoo’s new, eccentric space at 214 W. Brookland Park Blvd.
Carlson described the new shop as airy and open, with plenty of foliage and colorful decor, following an interior renovation.
“My clients feel comfortable in it. I don’t have to apologize for weird smells or mystery things that are going on,” she said.
Carlson said her first floor storefront also gives her more room to grow the shop’s ranks. Nostalgia’s team currently consists of Carlson and one other tattoo artist, but she now has room for up to five tattoo artists. She plans to run a booth-rent studio where tattoo artists pay a flat monthly rate to rent a space, and do not give the shop a commission from their work.
“We’re at that point where we’re comfortable with our layout, we have what we need to extend opportunity to other folks who may be interested,” she said.
Carlson said the building’s parking lot also provides opportunities for potential events or markets to draw more interest to the area.
“As the neighborhood gets more popular and folks want to come and visit and check out Brookland Park … it’s also a place where perhaps we could gather for other things. I do want to look into the possibility of hosting some sort of vendor markets or events in the parking lot,” she said.
Nostalgia’s building is owned by an entity tied to local real estate developer and Barber & Associates commercial appraiser Sandy Appelman. The space was previously the home of Brookland Park Flowers and Gifts, run by floral arrangement entrepreneur Bron Hansboro. It is not clear whether the shop has shut down or moved locations. Hansboro did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
Elsewhere in Brookland Park, prolific Northside developer Cory Weiner’s CW Performance Group recently picked up a parcel at 301 W. Brookland Park Blvd., while a 33-unit apartment project is also slated for 300-304 E. Brookland Park Blvd.
Other recent openings in the ever-changing neighborhood include Morty’s Market & Deli and coworking space Brandery Richmond.
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