If tattoo art is experiencing a renaissance, as its proponents say, then an empty storefront on the edge of Lisle in unincorporated DuPage County may offer a canvas to more than the beefy biceps of professional athletes.
Ignoring objections from neighbors and village officials in Lisle, a DuPage County Board committee voted Tuesday to recommend zoning approval for a tattoo parlor and body-piercing studio that seeks to open in a commercial strip on Maple Avenue just west of Illinois Highway 53.
Robert and Michael Hixon, co-owners of Tomato Tattoo in Chicago, said they want to open a second studio because much of their clientele lives in the western suburbs. The brothers grew up in Naperville.
“In the last two decades, tattoo art has seen a renaissance,” Robert Hixon told members of the board’s Development Committee. “Modern tattooing is done by artists with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in fine arts.”
Hixon, who has training as an artist, and his brother said they pride themselves on the cleanliness of their studio at 1855 W. Chicago Ave. in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago.
“I want state licensing. I want Health Department regulation,” Robert Hixon said. “In considering our zoning request, I urge you to look past the stereotypes and see that I want to make a difference in the industry.”
In voting 4-1 to approve the request, with one member voting present, the committee overruled a recommendation earlier this month by the county’s Zoning Board of Appeals.
The Zoning Board had voted 3-2 to recommend that the request be denied, citing Lisle’s objections and public health concerns.
Some residents also expressed worry that the business would lower property values.
The Lisle Village Board said it would object to the request unless the county adopted regulations similar to a village ordinance approved last year.
Lisle’s ordinance prohibits tattoo and body-piercing businesses unless the work is done by or are under the supervision of a licensed physician, nurse, chiropractor or osteopath.
“With its approval of this resolution, the Village Board has expressed concern that no county requirements exist for this business,” wrote Jerry Sprecher, Lisle village manager, in a letter to the Zoning Board.
DuPage has no such regulations, though the county changed its zoning rules in 1998 to allow tattoo parlors as a conditional use in commercial areas, a rule that requires a public hearing and County Board approval.
Before 1998, a tattoo parlor would not have needed county approval to set up shop in an area zoned for business use.
Unincorporated DuPage is home to three tattoo parlors, and there are three others within the village limits of Downers Grove.
Michael Hixon said opposition to the zoning request was based on “irrational fears” and “outdated stereotypes.”
Tomato Tattoo’s request still needs approval from the full County Board.
