Tattoo parlors merge, open in new Downtown location
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held September 1, 2022, as two Capital City tattoo parlors merged and opened in a new downtown Albany location. Joining Owner William ‘Tragedy’ Yager and Downtown Albany Business Improvement District Executive Director Georgette Steffens in celebrating Modern Body Art’s new 54 N Pearl Street location were City of Albany Treasurer Darius Shahinfar, Assemblymember Patricia Fahy, Albany County Policy Analyst Joe Bonarrigo, and County Legislator Sam Fein.
It was a lifelong interest in the tattooing industry and admiration for the work of its artists that led Yager to first open Modern Body Art on Howard Street in October of 2009, and a dedication to the community that has long supported his many businesses - including Patsy’s Barbershop, Lucky Cat Laundromat, and Bull & Bee Meadery - that keeps him in Downtown. Albany’s Central Social District has evolved significantly since he first opened the doors, and Yager noted that while Downtown has always been the heart of Albany, the growth of residential only served to solidify his dedication to the area. Modern Body Art’s new location is situated within a mixed-use building with apartments above the shop, and is within steps of the large-scale residential conversions happening along State and N Pearl Streets.
The new shop represents the merging of two parlors owned by Yager - Modern Body Art, most recently located on S Pearl Street, and Shocker Tattoo, previously located on Lark Street - with artists from the Lark Street shop relocating to Downtown. The 54 N Pearl Street location offered the opportunity for a post-pandemic reset and merger with the 920-square-foot space featuring a modern design, cathedral ceilings, new tattoo chairs, and more room to feature art on the walls.
The overwhelmingly positive reaction from both artists and clients adds to the business' appeal, said Yager, who attributes the success of Modern Body Art to the 90 years of combined experience that master piercer Gina Carbone and tattoo artists Carli Cass, Courtney Covino, Jeff Ortega, and Andrew Quintois bring to their clients and the neighborhood. Their work, Yager added, is being represented on a growing number of people coming in for piercings and tattoos. Everyone from college students to senior citizens are getting their first tattoos at Modern Body Art, as acceptance for the art form has grown significantly in recent decades. As an industry, tattooing has a market size of over $3 billion in the US, with the number of Americans with tattoos growing nine percent between 2012 and 2019, according to market research firm Ipsos.
Appointments at Modern Body Shop are made with individual artists themselves. New and returning clients are encouraged to visit the shop’s website at albanymodernbodyart.com to learn more, and to visit the Instagram accounts for master piercer Gina Carbone, and tattoo artists Carli Cass, Courtney Covino, Jeff Ortega, and Andrew Quintois to view portfolios and to schedule appointments.
Located at 54 N Pearl Street, Modern Body Art is open seven days a week from Noon-8:00 PM. Additional information can be found at albanymodernbodyart.com or by calling 518.426.TAT2 (8282). For updates follow the shop on Facebook at facebook.com/AlbanyModernBodyArt and Instagram at instagram.com/albanymodernbodyart.
