Atticus Tattoo Inc

Although Calgary has seen a huge increase in tattoo shop openings over the years, local entrepreneur Michelle Ferber was frustrated that none of the shops in the city seemed to cater towards first-timers. So she decided to launch her own venture as a solution –  an intimate little tattoo shop in the heart of Bridgeland called Atticus Tattoo.

“I think it’s really important to be aware of peoples’ needs and wants and make them feel important – like everything about them is what counts,” she says. “A lot of artists at different shops aren’t willing to do exactly what they want because the artist has certain styles they want to do. But the customer is always right.” The shop’s namesake “Atticus” is a nod to Atticus Finch, a fictional character and father figure from the Pulitzer Prize-winning Harper Lee novel To Kill A Mockingbird. And the shop strives to establish that exact same welcoming presence that Atticus Finch so perfectly embodied.

Atticus first opened its doors in July 2014 along the 1st Avenue N.E. strip, and Michelle quickly assembled the shop’s team of artists. Her aim was to ensure each artist had both a stellar portfolio as well as a customer-centric approach to tattooing. “We wanted to be different and we strive to make people feel really warm and welcome at our shop,” she says. “We’re like a tight family and we want to make sure it’s a good fit.”