In the dark, art-covered walls of Emerald Scarab Tattoo Parlor, the soft conversations of clients and tattoo artists fluttered throughout the rooms.
Emerald Scarab, located at 903 NW Sixth Street, celebrated its grand opening July 12 after a month of being soft-open.
“We just did a little meet-and-greet type situation, but it was a really good turnout,” said 34-year-old Ally Appleby, one of the studio's co-owners. “A lot of people showed up, and it was really cool.”
The studio currently houses four tattoo artists and a piercer.
Emerald Scarab is Appleby's second tattoo studio in the Alachua area. She is also the owner of Rustic Tattoo Studio, which opened last year in Lake Butler, a 40-minute drive north from Gainesville.
While working at Rustic, she met 25-year-old Jay Goodspeed, the new parlor’s other co-owner.
Both Appleby and Goodspeed had been tattooing for around six years at different studios before settling at Rustic and now Emerald Scarab.
Appleby still spends half of her time working at Rustic, but both she and Goodspeed felt a move to Gainesville would be a worthwhile change.
“We both have Gainesville clients, and it's just busier,” Appleby said. “Lake Butler's a small town, so it's just a different dynamic.”
Goodspeed particularly loves Gainesville because of its nature, she said, with diverse trees and wildlife throughout the city. She feels this love is echoed by her clients.
“My art is very wildlife- and nature-centric in both the style that I choose and the subject matter that I like to tattoo,” Goodspeed said. “And Gainesville just really matched that vibe and that energy.”
The parlor’s decor leans into the shared love of nature between client and artist, featuring plants and art prints of birds and other animals.
Even the name, Emerald Scarab, pays homage to the natural world. The name was inspired by the green June beetles she and Appleby see frequently across town, Goodspeed said.
Bibi Cascio, a 22-year-old tattoo artist, currently fills a guest spot at Emerald Scarab, although she primarily works at Rustic.
“I definitely missed working in Gainesville, so it's nice to be back near my clients,” she said. “It makes it a little bit more convenient and a little easier to have everyone come here.”
One of those clients, Hannah Barbakoff, a 28-year-old IT worker, leaned back in Cascio’s chair as the artist tattooed a flower across her neck and collarbone.
“The space is so curated, and it feels really safe,” Barbakoff said. "And I love that it's women-owned, and most of the artists are women, so it makes it feel really safe and inclusive.”
Being women-owned and primarily women-operated is a spot of pride for Emerald Scarab and Rustic.
Although the studio is still in its early days, both owners have big plans for the future, especially during the back-to-school and Halloween seasons. They plan to keep working on the space and create more flash designs for returning and future clients.
Contact Brandy Sumner at bsumner@alligator.org.
Brandy Sumner is an anthropology and English junior and this summer's music and performance reporter. This is their first semester working at the Alligator. In their free time they enjoy playing guitar, reading and writing.
