A new storefront has popped up on Voght St. across from the Coldwater Hotel.
Mom’s Tattoo Co., owned and operated by Toronto transplants Marco Merulla and Natali Budihardjo is an inviting and inclusive space for hardcore tattoo enthusiasts and newbies alike.
However, the shop’s opening was completely unplanned and without the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the globe, likely never would have come to be at all.
“We were living in Toronto when the Pandemic hit and we both lost our jobs,” explained co-owner Natali.
“We packed up our tiny apartment in the heart of downtown Toronto and drove across Canada to come be with family.”
Even then, the pair never thought about putting down roots in this small community with a whopping 2.91 million fewer residents than the city they had left behind.
“We figured we would ride out the pandemic here and then head to the coast to seek out work,” said Natali.
But, browsing Facebook one day, they saw a vacant space that had been listed for rent downtown.
“We randomly saw a commercial space for rent on Facebook and a light bulb went off and the idea started to come to life,” Natali continued.
“Shortly after Mom’s Tattoo Co. was born… a couple months after we arrived in Merritt.”
Marco and Natali then began renovating the space they had secured, having a vision in mind for what they wanted the interior of their new business to look like.
We both always had similar taste in what we wanted our shop to look like and the vibe we wanted to bring downtown, so agreeing on that was easy,” said Natali.
“We want people to know that they will get quality work in a safe and friendly environment.”
In this “safe and friendly environment”, which welcomes all people, including those from the LGBTQ and BIPOC community, clients can receive a variety of tattoo services.
We are really passionate about our trade and we like to think that it reflects in the work we produce for our clients,” said Natali.
“Whether it’s Cosmetic, Traditional, Realism or fine line black and grey, we like to think there is something for everyone here.”
Marco has been tattooing since 2012 and Natali has been in the beauty industry since 2014.
“I was always creative when I was younger, but I didn’t really know how to tap into it, until I decided to go to hairdressing school back in 2010,” explained Natali.
“Not long after I got into doing eyelash extensions and laser hair removal. As I grew in the industry, I wanted to challenge myself a bit more and that’s when I started my path to cosmetic tattooing. Marco was also naturally creative and knew he wasn’t meant to be in the corporate or labour-intensive world. He had done everything from working for a large corporate company, to carpentry before he decided to put down the tool belt and pick up a (tattoo) machine. He received his apprenticeship shortly after and the rest is history.”
Since it is typically mothers who have been first to advise their children against tattoos, I had to inquire as to why the shop had been christened ‘Mom’s Tattoo Co.’
“Our Moms have just always been so supportive of us and we wanted to show them how much we appreciate it, and them,” explained Natali.
“Mom’s Tattoo Co. is an ode to our Moms. We agreed on the name pretty easily to be honest. We loved that it had a comforting ring to it as well. We want people to feel comfortable walking in our space. Marco just recently gave my mom her first tattoo and I think if she wasn’t an enthusiast before we have turned her into one because she now wants another one!”
I was curious if either Marco or Natali had been to Merritt prior to moving here, or if they had crossed the country based on family’s invitation and descriptions alone.
“I had been to Merritt in my early 20’s when we would come up from the coast for the music festival,” said Natali.
“Marco had never been to BC let alone Merritt. He was born and raised in the city of Toronto, so it’s all been very new to him, but he is enjoying small town living. We never thought we would be small town business owners honestly, the city was where we had been for years. But it has really grown on us and we are happy we made the choice to stay here instead of heading to the coast to live in a big city again. Merritt has been so welcoming and supportive, we’re very excited to be a part of the community and look forward to meeting everyone.”
