ATHOL – The family-owned Ragnarok Tattoo Company has joined the downtown’s business community. 

Located at 357 Main St., the grand opening was marked with a celebration on Saturday, April 15. It’s owned by sisters-in-law Jacqui and Erica Ferguson. Erica’s husband Jeff Riel—who has worked in a number of tattoo parlors over two decades—is the lead artist.

Jacqui and Erica initially discussed the idea of opening a tattoo parlor several months ago. Jeff’s schedule had become incredibly busy, with a percentage of what he makes going to the businesses he works for.

“We kind of came up with the idea of ‘why not work for ourselves,’” said Erica. “And Jacqui had mentioned how she wanted to open a boutique of some sort, and I said, ‘You know, Jacqui, I think Jeff and I are going to look into opening a shop.’ She immediately said, ‘That sounds great – let’s do it.’”

After some discussion, Erica, Jeff, Jacqui and Jacqui’s husband James took the leap and opened a shop in Athol, which has been without a tattoo parlor for a dozen years.

“When we first came here, Jeff did go to different shops to see where he possibly could go and work,” said Erica. “What he was learning was that the better places are at least 45 minutes away, like in Keene, in Greenfield there’s a shop, and then the Fitchburg area. There are a couple in Orange and Gardner, but they’re a lot smaller and not quite as ‘out there.’”

Business, she said, has been finding its way to Athol since Ragnarok had its soft opening several weeks ago.

“People will drive. They don’t care,” Erica said. “If they have an artist and they are dedicated and loyal to that artist, they’ll drive an hour to get here. Jeff even has clients coming from Laconia (N.H.). One of his friends just came down from Washington to get a tattoo. Honestly, it’s the artwork that draws people more than just convenience.”

When it comes to the art of tattooing, according to Erica, the skin is as varied as the canvasses a painter may use for their art.

“My husband has talked about this before; everybody has their own skin texture,” said Erica.

Asked about peoples’ motivations for getting tattoos, Erica said that it varies.

“I have tattoos that I just like the look of. But then I have tattoos that represent something I never want to forget; my kids’ names, a memorial to my grandmother,” she said. “Your first tattoo, from what I’ve seen, is usually something that means something to you.”

 For those who have never gotten a tattoo but are thinking about it, the co-owners said that the process can be painful.

“Tattoos are painful, but it all depends on your pain tolerance,” Erica said. “Do you have a high threshold of pain? Do you not? It also depends on the location. Certain locations will kill you. The back of your arm, your inner thigh; all very uncomfortable. But now we have numbing cream. Even Bactine spray will numb it a little bit.

“I say imagine getting stung by a bee over and over again,” Jackqui added.

Jacqui – a financial adviser by profession – said it took more money than expected to get the business started. Plumbing had to be installed in each room, along with a complete painting of the interior.

“It easily cost us a few thousand to get things started,” said Jacqui. “As far as art supplies, each artist likes working with their own tools, so they supply their own tools – certain inks that they like to work with, certain machines and (tattoo) guns that they like to work with. Still, overall, it was a larger project than I think we were anticipating.”

For now, all sessions are by appointment only. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/people/Ragnarök-Tattoo-Company and call 978-830-0072.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.

]]>