CAROLINA BEACH — Can the stigma associated with tattoos and body piercings once again forbid the practice of body piercing in Carolina Beach?
Tuesday, the town will vote on allowing body piercing within town limits, something that was denied in 2002. While tattooing has been permitted in Carolina Beach for a few years, piercing is still forbidden.
According to Town Council’s agenda, “The reason for denial (in 2002) is that it was not considered in keeping with a family-oriented boardwalk and the (Central Business District) where it was proposed to be allowed.”
But now, Corey Hardison, co-owner and tattooer of Pleasure Island Tattoo and Gallery, 1009 N. Lake Park Blvd., has submitted the application asking Town Council to allow body piercing in the Highway Business District (HBD). In 2013, the Town of Carolina Beach allowed tattoo shops to open, but one of the conditions was to not permit body piercing.
The stigma attached to body piercing is recognized by town staff according to the documents submitted to the town.
“In some communities these uses are prevalent in poor areas and associated with crime and health issues,” the documentation states. “For that reason, many towns are hesitant to open up allowances for these activities.”
This opinion of people as well as that surrounding tattoo shops and body piercing is something Hardison and co-owner Jesse Gurganus hope to change.
“I feel like we’re common people, this is just what we chose to do with our lives,” Gurganus said. “I hate when people think bad about our clientele because our clientele is everyday people too. Nothing against them, but were located in-between lawyers, they have criminals coming in and out, they attract more than we do.”
Tattoo shops like Pleasure Island Tattoo and Gallery are strictly regulated by state and local health regulations, and body piercing studios are held to similarity strict regulations – but not everybody is held to these standards.
“We just want it to be regulated,” Hardison said. “It’s not good but, there are people around that are doing it (piercing) out of their house, out of their living room. We want to offer the regulated sterile environment, we already offer that with tattooing, the same standards pretty much apply.”
It’s not just the stigma that the shop wants to change, there is also a loss of potential revenue.
“We’re sending away at least $5,000 a year or more in piercing … this is the only tattoo shop I’ve ever heard of that doesn’t do piercings,” Gurganus said.
While $5,000 more in body piercing funds might not have a large impact on the town’s tax base, the potential customers who have to leave the island to get pierced are likely spending their money in downtown Wilmington, Gurganus and Hardison said.
“We send them over the bridge and, most of the time, in-between lunch time and dinner time. At that point were sending people over the bridge to go downtown to get pierced … there is a lot of stuff downtown, a lot more there than there is here, so when we send them over there they are like ‘well we’re already here lets just grab lunch here’,” Gurganus said.
At first, Gurganus and Hardison said there was initial hesitation from surrounding businesses when a tattoo shop moved in next door, but now after being established for several years, the tattoo shop is just another business in the plaza.
“When we went to pursue piercings, we went to everybody first (neighboring businesses) and everybody said absolutely,” Hardison said.
The way that Gurganus and Hardison see it is that their business is already there, and instead of the backroom being used for storage, it would be a piercing room.
Suggested regulations
The Town of Carolina Beach’s Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously to approve body piercing by conditional use permit in the HBD. There are several rules the body piercing studios would have to adhere to in order to be approved for body piercing.
Hours of operation for body piercing would be limited from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m., and there would be a required 200-foot separation from residential districts, churches, schools, libraries public parks, and playgrounds. There would also be a 400-foot separation from any other piercing facility. The facilities would also be required to post all approval letters from New Hanover County Health Department and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on site.
The new amendment would also separate out the difference between a body piercing facility, and ear piercing facilities.
Carolina Beach Town Council will hold a public hearing to allow for input on the decision 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the Town Council Chambers.
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