Las Vegas tattoo parlor asks for help following weeks-long power outage
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – For weeks, the power has been out for three Las Vegas businesses, and owners are shocked they still have no answer from their landlord on when it will be fixed.
Frank DiMaggio, co-owner of West Coast Tattoo Parlor, said the electricity went out for the entire business complex around 2 p.m. on May 4, but his tattoo artists found creative ways to continue working.
“Our guys used headlamps,” he said. “They pulled their motorcycles up to the front and turned them on to light up the building so that they could finish their tattoos for our clients.”
Days later Nevada Energy inspectors found the top half of the main breaker, which powers three businesses in the commercial complex, Vegas Pointe Plaza, was blown and it would take more than a reset to fix it—it needed to be replaced.
Next to the combination meter on the Siemens power supply unit, a temporary operation permit sticker displayed the last service date for the now defunct unit, November 10, 1993.
DiMaggio said he was in disbelief to discover their landlord had not serviced their equipment for 31 years and requested power to be restored.
“We were told that it was going to take a couple of days to get a new one,” he said.
So far, 16 days have passed without any power to West Coast Tattoo Parlor, 6789 Beauty Bar and Ocean City Massage Spa and business owners want to know why nothing has changed.
“We’re hemorrhaging,” DiMaggio said. “People are losing their income 100% while [the property owner] is trying to save a couple of grand, well, we’re losing out every day.”
8 News Now reached out to the property owner and manager for Vegas Pointe Plaza via email and over the phone but they have not responded to our request for comment.
No power, no rent
Two days after the initial outage the property manager told Valerie DiMaggio, co-owner of West Coast Tattoo Parlor, it would cost $30,000 to fix the unit.
DiMaggio told the property manager according to her tenant’s rights their business could not be expected to pay rent due to alleged “negligence.”
“We have thousands of dollars in damages a day,” she said. “We still have to pay all the bills we still have to cover everything, and we are going to our landlord who will do nothing to help us.”
The property manager allegedly told DiMaggio they had no right to withhold rent and said management would submit an eviction notice, but days later a new property manager reached out.
“She told us, ‘Oh you’re going to be able to get back into business tomorrow,” DiMaggio said. “And like an idiot, I believed her.”
On May 14, owners and employees of West Coast Tattoo Parlor brought all the supplies and heavy equipment back into the business on the assurance of the new property manager that power would be restored, but the unit still wasn’t fixed.
“We moved everything back and we were dripping with sweat,” DiMaggio said. “Then we’re told, ‘Oh, well, probably wait another month.’”
DiMaggio said being closed during the Electric Daisy Carnival heavily impacted their profits for this quarter, but reminded customers they can still go to their second location near South Rainbow and Russell.
“We’ll continue to go out of our way to accommodate all of our customers,” Frank said. “If they want their piercings or tattoos done, we’re going to take care of no matter what even if we have to bring in extra people.”
Justin Nolan, a tattoo artist at West Coast Tattoo Parlor, told 8 News Now the lack of business at the Las Vegas Boulevard location has a lasting effect on Valerie and Frank DiMaggio.
“I can’t wait for this one to open back up,” he said. “But we don’t know if that’s going to happen.”
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