Alchemy & Shade wins Tri-Cities Best Tattoo Shop

Terry Craig
·2 min read

This story is part of Tri-Cities Best, a viewer-driven segment of News Channel 11’s community coverage. Your votes placed Alchemy & Shade as the Tri-Cities’ Best Tattoo Shop, among several finalists also chosen by viewers:

  • Ink Therapy

  • Prestige Ink

  • 2 Ton Tattoo Gallery

PINEY FLATS, Tenn. (WJHL) – Melissa Arrowood has always had an eye for art.

Her distinctive eyes spotted the perfect opportunity to take her art to the next level and jump into the world of tattooing.

“I’ve always been artsy,” Arrowood said. “I was given the opportunity to start an apprenticeship and I just jumped on it.”

Her love for the tattoo business continued to snowball. She decided to open up her own shop after five years of tattooing.

Alchemy & Shade has called Piney Flats home for only two years now. Arrowood said that she has a very loyal clientele who followed her over to the new place.

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Arrowood said there’s immense pressure to tattoo. Of course, pressure is reasonable as tattoos are a permanent piece that sticks with a client forever.

But she said that’s not exactly where the pressure comes from. Whether long or short, there’s a story behind every piece. Arrowood said it’s important to convey a client’s message with every drop of ink.

“You’re in a very vulnerable position whenever you’re getting tattooed, it’s very therapeutic,” Arrowood said. “People have a tendency to really open to you and you respect that. You respect the things they were willing to share with you.”

Bradley Simon has tattooed alongside Arrowood for several years now. He said the shop has a diverse group of artists with diverse sets of skills.

“I do a lot of illustrative work, so my strong suit would be line work on a lot of things,” Simon said. “I do a little bit of everything, and I think I’m pretty well-rounded on most things.”

Alchemy & Shade has already made an impact in the Tri-Cities in its short time here. Arrowood said that it’s the commitment to its customers that keeps people coming back.

“I’m a firm believer that if you take care of your people, then your people take care of you,” Arrowood said.

Alchemy & Shade is located at 5661 Highway 11 East in Piney Flats.

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