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Smith Street Tattoo Parlour: Brooklyn’s American Traditional Anchor

If you want to understand what a serious American Traditional shop looks like, Smith Street Tattoo Parlour in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn is the reference point. Acclaim Magazine and RVCA have both covered the shop at length, and the Village Voice named it Best Tattoo Not in Manhattan in both 2009 and 2015. It has been operating out of 411 Smith Street since 2008. That is not a new shop finding its footing — it is an established institution.

The shop was founded by three of its resident artists: Bert Krak, Steve Boltz, and Eli Quinters. All three remain on the roster today, alongside Dan Santoro, Frank William, and Chris Howell — six resident artists, every one of them working in American Traditional.

Bert Krak is the artist whose name travels furthest outside the shop’s walls. Tatt Mag’s roundup of working American Traditional specialists described him as someone who “effortlessly replicates some of the most classic, true-to-history images of the tattoo genre.” His Instagram makes the case plainly: the work is rooted in flash culture, executed with the bold outlines and flat saturated color that define the style at its most disciplined.

Steve Boltz, co-founder alongside Krak and Quinters, is described by the same Tatt Mag feature as “seen as a legend of current-day American traditional tattooing.” Eli Quinters rounds out the founding trio; all three are confirmed as resident artists by RVCA’s coverage of the shop.

Dan Santoro, confirmed as a resident artist by Acclaim Magazine, is known for work that draws on his background as an avid fisherman — sea creatures and water subjects appear throughout his output. Frank William and Chris Howell complete the current resident roster, both confirmed by RVCA.

Six resident artists, one style, one shop — that kind of focus is what gives Smith Street its reputation. Flash is central to how the shop operates. As one of its artists put it in Vice documentary coverage of the parlour: “Flash is the number one commodity as far as running a traditional style tattoo shop. That’s the product.” The flash wall is not a concession to walk-in traffic; it is a deliberate commitment to the way American Traditional has always worked.

Vice has produced documentary coverage of the shop and its artists, and it has been featured in the New York Times and through an RVCA brand partnership — a range of press that reflects how far the shop’s reputation extends beyond the tattoo world specifically.

You can follow the shop on Instagram at @smithstreettattooparlour and find booking information at smithstreettattooparlour.com.

This week we are also looking at the American Traditional style itself — what defines it, why it lasts, and who is pushing it forward — in our artist spotlight and in the news roundup. Both are linked elsewhere in this week’s package.

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Sources & coverage

Rvca · Acclaimmag · Vice · Www3 · Yelp · Us · Milled · Art-nerd · Foursquare · Smith-street-tattoo-parlour · Bestprosintown · Bbb · Stephaniawenzel · Jdtlucasebianca · Pinterest · Citylikeyou

More from this week: American Traditional Tattoos