Don’t bar Old Town to more body artists

In the necessary process of trying to keep sex-related businesses out of Old Town and the arena district, the Wichita City Council risks unnecessarily barring new tattoo and piercing shops from opening in those blocks. Since body artists won the right to open shops in the city limits in 1998, five businesses have given new, youthful life to formerly moribund blocks of East Douglas, fitting right into free-spirited Old Town. The rezoning wouldn’t force out the businesses already open, but it would limit expansion and prevent others from opening. The city needs to rethink this check on a service business that long ago went mainstream.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

9 Comments

  1. Joe C
    Posted September 22, 2005 at 7:34 pm | Permalink

    Well Rhonda, it looks like total agreement.

    Or maybe –no politics, no interest from this crowd.

    Either way you are right.

  2. XXX
    Posted September 23, 2005 at 6:52 am | Permalink

    Well of course we should ban tattoo parlors! People, especially younger people, might have fun there. We can’t have people going around having fun in Kansas! In fact, Let’s amend the constitution! We wonder why Kansas ranks 30th in jobs growth, 35th in population growth, 41st in per capita income and 43rd in total personal income? It’s because Kansas sucks and we never miss an opportunity to make it suck even worse (Think casinos and the BOE). Want to reverse the trend? STOP MAKING KANSAS SUCK!!!!!

  3. Nola
    Posted September 23, 2005 at 7:12 am | Permalink

    XXX, you really aren’t expecting Kansas to step out of the dark ages, are you? I’ve always thought new ideas, styles, etc., began around the perimeter of the US and continued in a spiral pattern from the outside, thereby getting to Kansas in 10 years or so. At that time the backward Kansans run screaming down the street in terror, and the state legislature bans whatever it happens to be.

  4. NoJoCo
    Posted September 23, 2005 at 12:40 pm | Permalink

    Tattoo and piercing shops are fun?

  5. Jed
    Posted September 23, 2005 at 1:19 pm | Permalink

    Diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks, I suppose! I sure wouldn’t want to do whatever it is our good commissioners must do for fun.

  6. XXX
    Posted September 23, 2005 at 5:13 pm | Permalink

    NoJo, you don’t think tattoos and piercings are fun? Have you had either?

    No, don’t tell me….I really don’t want to go there.

  7. NoJoCo
    Posted September 23, 2005 at 6:09 pm | Permalink

    I think there’s a stereotype of those places that may or may not be accurate anymore – that they are dirty and getting a too is risky because of dirty needles, etc. I have never been in either type of establishment, so I have no idea what they are like. Maybe someone can tell me who has been into one of them.

    I know of an acquaintance who had a flower designed on her stomach when she was younger; now she refers to it as a tree. :)

  8. XXX
    Posted September 23, 2005 at 8:40 pm | Permalink

    Serious NoJo,I have a couple of tats. Got them 30 years ago…wish I hadn’t now. I also have a pierced ear. That was great in college in the early 70s. I’m a professional now and don’t wear an earring to work. My advice to my young friends; forget the tattoos and piercings. They look like shit when you get older. I’m involved in hiring now. If you interview with me and you have pierced eyebrows and lips, you’re wasting our time. A pierced nose doesn’t bother me on a woman. I think a pierced tongue is stupid.

    Have you heard about tongue splitting? OUCH!

  9. Tara C
    Posted September 24, 2005 at 5:30 pm | Permalink

    “Maybe someone can tell me who has been into one of them.”

    Extremely clean, I was impressed when I got my navel done…sterile needles, gloves, iodine, good ventilation and an artist that put me at ease.

    I’m already tired of the belly ring. When I got it done, it was cool. Now it just screams “teenybopper”!