A Chat with Stacey Martin

Pour yourself a nice cuppa tea or coffee, sit down, cause it's time for another Sourpuss interview!  I would like to introduce Stacey Martin, one of our freelance artists who has created some of you favorite Sourpuss designs.  Read more if you want to know a little bit more about this artist & tattooer who now resides in the weird city of Austin.

Sourpuss (SP): How about we start out with an easy one, Where are you from?
Stacey Martin (SM):  I'm originally from Central New York, bounced around the state and lived in New York City for three years. In 2008 I moved to Texas. Currently living in the strange and beautiful city of Austin, TX. I think I'l be here for a while.

SP: When did you get started in tattooing?
SM:  I started an apprenticeship in New York in 2003 at "the shop which shall remain nameless" and finished my apprenticeship at Apocalypse Tattoo with Michael Davidson between 2004 and 2005, So I've been tattooing professionally for 7 years.

SP: Any apprenticeship horror stories?
SM:  There's always horror stories. Some, legitimately horrible and some I just consider team building exercises/ skin thickening ceremonies.

SP: If you were written about in the newspaper, on the front page, what would the headline say?
SM:  "Funny In The Front, Business In The Rear,"
mainly because it takes a minute for people to realize I'm serious about business and not just a goofy blonde.


SP: You not only tattoo you also paint & sell your stuff on etsy, what's your favorite medium to work in?

 SM:  I dig pen and ink, liquid acrylic and water color, and some jobs/projects are best done digitally. Although I've been making "found junk" necklaces and resin setting tiny versions of my artwork in filigree bezels. It's super tedious, delicate work but I love it.

SP: What's your favorite song to break it down to?
SM:  Trunk Fulla Amps by Self gets me pumped but that's the first one that came to mind. There are several others ;-D

SP: If you weren't tattooing what would your dream job be?
SM:  Tattooing is pretty damn close to a dream job. I do like hosting and planning events though. So maybe hosting and planning events with an unlimited budget? That sounds fun to me.

SP: Would you rather be able to visit 100 years in the past or 100 years in the future?
SM:  100 years in the past! 1912! I don't even want to know what life will be like 100 years from now.

SP: Garden Gnomes or Flamingos?
SM:  Both, actually. We rock both skeleton flamingos and a zombie garden gnome on the patio. I don't discriminate ;-D

SP: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
SM:  Let's see, in ten years I'll be 43 so hopefully not in a back brace, loaded on pain meds.
In ten years, maybe a private shop/art gallery where I can host my favorite tattoo artists and regular artists alike.

• You can check out Stacey's current works at the following sites •

Website
http://staceymartin.com/site/ 

Dovetail Tattoo
http://dovetailtattoo.com/site/ 

Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/shop/whimfactory

Catch Up with Black Market Art Company

This past week I had the pleasure of catching up with long time friend Alex from Black Market Art. I wanted to share the knitty-gritty on Black Market/Lowbrow Art company. Sourpuss carries a variety of the collection of their tattoo tees.

 
•Sourpuss (SP): How did Black Market art develop? 
•Black Market Art (BMA):  Black Market Art started back in 2005. We started selling t-shirts from three different tattoo artists They were Mr. Lucky, Jake Underwood and Bucky Crispin As of today we are working with 175 different artists!
 •SP:What's your role at Black Market?
•BMA:  I try to focus on my role as team spirit leader, but find myself taking out the trash and handing out our daily beatings. The beatings are good for moral, you get beat if you do well and you get beat if you do badly, everybody is an equal here.
•SP:Do you personally have an artist’s background? 
•BMA: Actually I do not have an artists background, I always thought of myself as a visionary, like I in vision myself doing art, it’s kind of like the same thing.

•SP:What is the difference between Black Market and Lowbrow? And do you favor one over the other?
•BMA: Black Market art is more of a tattoo inspired art style lowbrow art is an underground art movement with origins in hot-rod street culture, punk rock music, underground commix and other subcultures. The roots of lowbrow art can be traced back decades to Southern California hotrods “Kustom Kars” and surf culture. Ed “Big Daddy” Roth is frequently credited with getting the Lowbrow art movement underway by creating Rat Fink in the late 1950’s.

While Lowbrow art grew in the 1960’s as a product of its political and social times, as a revolt against academic conceptualism, it has negotiated and thrived into the 21st century. It remains an unassuming mix of possibilities open to flux and dedicated to beautifully polished works.
Lowbrow art captures our imaginations and jump starts journeys into wide eyed, candy colored and sometimes darkly disturbing worlds of artful madness.

•SP:Tell us about the art shows that you are involved with...
•BMA: We do a lot of art shows, it’s mainly an excuse for us to go out to the bar get drunk and party with our friends.

•SP:Working with so many artists do you decide ahead of time what type of artwork you are looking for or do you work with what the artists already has completed? 
•BMA: We usually just work with what the artist completes, if they are backing it then so are we.

•SP:Over the last few years tattoo culture has become pretty popular, how do you feel about that?
•BMA: We think it’s great. It’s about time that these tattoo artists get the recognition that they deserve as artist. Their art form is gaining legitimacy in the main stream and we think that is down right awesome!

•SP:Is there a specific artist that you were doing flips with excitement to be working with?
•BMA:   Yea three jump to my head right away : Daniel Esparza, Abril Andrade, and Dave Sanchez

•SP:If you could chose 3 things to only eat or drink for a whole year, what would those survival treats be?
•BMA:  That’s easy Beer, Pizza, and broccoli.

•SP:Lastly, for fun- can you sketch us a self portrait? 

Featured Retailer Razorz Edge in Tucson AZ

Are you looking for the latest gossip from Razorz Edge boutique? We've got the skinny from Lauren on this Tuscon, Arizona's alternative boutique. If you find yourself in the area, stop by the shop and tell those sassy gals you're friends of Sourpuss!

Sourpuss (SP): Tell us about Razorz Edge...(who runs the show, how long have you been in business, where you're located)
Razorz Edge (RE): Razorz Edge started in 2007 by Rachel Balls and myself, Lauren Baker. We previously worked together for many years and became really great friends. We shared a love for alternative culture and Rachel knew I wanted to open up a store of my own and she wanted to help out and be a “silent” partner. Our store is located in the funky/edgy shopping district on 4th Avenue in Tucson, AZ.

SP: What is your role at Razorz Edge?
RE:Pretty much every role at Razorz Edge is my role. I oversee everything, but have been slowly letting go and delegating photo shoots, some of our marketing, etc to our awesome sales associates.


SP:If you didn't own Razorz Edge, what do you see yourself doing for work?
RE:I’d still be working in a fashion field for sure. I love to sew, so I’d probably be making clothing in my free time. Someday I would love to have clothing manufactured.

SP: What are your customers like in Tucson?
RE:Our store is in a very eclectic neighborhood that is near our university, so we sell to everyone from sorority girls to our local burlesque ladies to grandma’s buying cool tees for their grandsons. We really try to get to know our regulars and we all have made some really great friends through our store.

SP: You are involved with quite a few events throughout the year, any particular favorite?
RE:The Tucson Tattoo Convention is our fav. Not only do we sell our merchandise at our booth there, we put on a Alternative/Pin Up Fashion Show and we sponsor the Pin Up Girl Contest! It’s a total blast!

SP: What's your favorite place to eat in Tucson?
RE:There is an amazing restaurant in our downtown area called Poca Cosa. The menu constantly changes and everything tastes like heaven!

SP: Tell us something crazy that has happened in the store
RE:The first summer we were open, the store flooded due to a powerful monsoon storm that came through. The employee that worked for us at the time thought she was going to die. It was crazy. Some nearby shops had to be closed for a full week to pump water of out basements and replace walls and floors. We got lucky and were able to open the next day.


SP: Have any celebrities shopped at razorz edge? If so, who and what did they buy?
RE:We have had Sarah Mclachlan, Jared Leto and the guys from Calexico come in. I don’t remember what they bought, but I know Jared Leto just hit on my employee and told her to come “see his show”. Most recently some of the guys working on the new Hangover movie came in since it’s being filmed in Nogales, which is pretty close to us. We get a lot of touring punk bands in since we are near a bunch of bars and music venues. Those dudes are always buying stuff to take home to their girlfriends or wives, which is awesome!!

SP:Trapped on an island for a full year- what 3 things do you take with you?
RE:Well, my boyfriend just told me I would have to bring him. So, I guess the other 2 things would be my 2 cats. Lame, I know.

SP: Any future plans or goals for Razorz Edge that you would like to share?

RE:We would like to open a store in the Phoenix area in the next couple years. We are in the process of updating our website so we can have a super sweet web-store next year! 

http://www.razorzedge.com/

An Interview with Lisa from Switchblade Stiletto

Sourpuss (SP): How did Switchblade Stiletto come about?
Switchblade Stiletto (SBS): From the Blondie Book "Making Tracks The Rise of Blondie" when she was in the band The Stilettos there was a photo in it with a Switchblade rammed through it as the heel. So I guess I have Blondie to thank for naming my company. I was like that is awesome! First it was a design we featured for the company I worked for. Later I thought what a great name for a clothing company.

SP: How did you get into designing?
SBS: I have been making clothes since I was a kid, before I could even drive. I grew up in an upper class neighborhood but we weren't upper class at all. So to keep up with the my classmates I would sew my own clothes and from there the other kids like my designs so I started selling them to my classmates and eventually I hit up the local boutiques in town and sold them my crafty little pieces. I started hustling at a young age.


SP:What did you do before you started Switchblade Stiletto?
SBS:I worked for Lucky 13 as a designer.



SP:What is your favorite item from your current collection?
SBS:I like my line cause it caters to the more curvy girl but to pick a favorite would be hard. I like the High Waisted Skirt and Pant cause it keeps you sucked in, the Marilyn dress cause it is fun to wear, the Annabella dress cause it is sexy.

 
SP:Looking back through out the years of running Switchblade Stiletto- do you have a moment that you were the most excited? (maybe a favorite style that you made or a special VIP that wore Switchblade?


SBS:It's all exciting! Working for yourself is truly the best feeling and making it 10 years with the line has made me feel accomplished with all the ups and downs, the errors and rewards. Meeting cool people and traveling. I am grateful that I have the courage to follow my dreams!





 SP:While repping the line- how many times did you drive cross country? Any desires to do that again?
SBS:I did 3 trips back and fourth from the Pacific to the Atlantic. It is rough being on the road and not knowing where you will be sleeping and only knowing a couple days before what town you will be in. I have done countless min trips up the west coast, along the dirty south, and east coast. I would love to get back on the road again I love being out there exploring the earth.

SP:Tell us about your latest project- Gypsy Treasures.

SBS:Well it is a retail location I just opened in November. If you know me I am not your pin up girl so this is way for me to kind of express my self a little more. I have taken the road and brought it into the store. I have the desert feel with cowboys & Indians, a forest with gypsy mystical fairyland, the beach with pirate sailorette voyage, and pin up Spanish harlot religious section I call a piece of Mexico or Spain. I want to bring more cultures into the store like Hindu, Buddha, Roman, Celtic, Egyptian, and so one. I want to promote peace we are all souls and our bodies are just our shells. I know it all sounds very hippie and a far cry from the pinup world.


But I am not 21 anymore and putting on those heels and strutting around doesn't do it for me. Thoughts of exploring more land and cultures is what keeps me inspired.

SP:Has it been difficult to balance Switchblade Stiletto and Gypsy Treasures?
SBS:Having the store is way more work than I thought it would be. The shop has taken my time away from Switchblade. My life was pretty easy going before and now I never have a day off. I am sure there will the pay off but everything that is worth anything is hard work and it will make me appreciate it more. Blood sweat and tears!

SP:If we were to make a movie about your life who would play you?
SBS:Oh geez that is a hard question. I had to ask some friend and this is what they said; Wicked Witch of the East, Jennifer Connely, Oprah, Milas Kunis, Zoe Deschanel, Juliette Lewis, Lucy Lawless from Xena warrior, and Angelina Jolie. If we are talking about looks wise I think Milas Kunis cause we look the most alike.

SP:With your plate being really full- what do you do when it comes time to relax?
SBS:Yoga, the beach, gardening, and meditation.

Get the Dish on King Kerosin

  Let's get the dish on King Kerosin- I had a chance to catch up with Richard, who runs things here in the US for King Kerosin...All those burning questions can be answered right here..

Sourpuss (SP): What is the difference between King Kerosin and Timeless Co?

King Kerosin (KK):That’s a good question King Kerosin is our Men’s Brand and Timeless Clothing USA is our distribution company name  

(SP): King Kerosin has a strong presence in Germany and Switzerland, is there a connection?  

(KK):We have a strong presence in Europe with offices currently in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. We also have 2 Timeless Pilot Shops in Germany. I was in Germany working on building the brand from 2000-2006 and then came back to the States to launch our USA Office.

(SP):We received in new girls styles called "Queen Kerosin", what's with the change- is this a new line? 

(KK):We felt that the time is right to branch off the women’s collection into its own brand, Queen Kerosin, after all what’s a King without a Queen ;-)

(SP):What is your favorite new design this season?

(KK):For my personal taste from the King Kerosin Collection I would have to go with either Zombie or Flying Spades. Queen Kerosin Collection: Endless Pain and Fairytale Gone Bad are very popular with the ladies

(SP):Most of your designs are based on hotrod kulture- do you have a vintage ride for yourself?

(KK):At the moment I am without wheels (I know and summer is upon us) in Germany we just picked up a fun little street rod (See photo, that’s Ralf driving he runs Europe) and yes it does about 75mph, it’s a fun little toy!! We also build a couple of King Kerosin choppers a year.

  (SP):Tell us what you do at King Kerosin day to day.

(KK):I’m kind of a jack of all trades. Most of my time goes into product development for the upcoming season, working on cool marketing ideas, and making sure orders get out the door in a timely fashion.

(SP):So when Saturday comes what are your favorite things to do on the weekend?

(KK):Go to a local show, or just take it slow and have a beer with good friends. When I get the chance love being on the open road feeling the wind in my face!!

(SP):We like to hear the dirt- tell us one crazy thing about yourself that very few people would know

(KK):Sorry my attorney has advised me that’s not a good idea.

(SP):What have you been playing on your I-Pod the most this month?  

(KK):I’d have to say The Memphis Morticians, Guana Batz, and The Dropkick Murphys

(SP):Tell us about one of your guilty pleasures

(KK):Where to begin ;-)

(SP):Anything new and exciting you would like to share regarding the future of King Kerosin?

(KK):Lots of fun and exciting clothes in the final stages for the Fall/Winter Collection stay tuned as we will definitely be taking our collections to the next level

East Coast Classic Scooter Rally

 Get the dish from Andria on the Philly area's vintage Vespa scooter rally- The East Coast Classic. Read on for details....

Sourpuss Clothing (SPC): How did you come up with this event?
East Coast Classic (ECC):In 2010, the planners of various city rallies in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast region joined together to form a new planning group for the rally that would become known as the East Coast Classic. At that time and for many years prior to that, we were all throwing our own "city rallies" in our respective locales. However, calendars fill up quickly which affects rally attendance. So the original idea behind ECC was that instead of throwing 5, 6, 7 rallies on as many weekends, we would combine to throw one big one together.
Additionally, we wanted to develop an event that was emphasized as more of a vintage-centric rally, which our city rallies for the most part were not. While ECC does not exclude modern scooters, vintage or "classic" bikes are our focus, and we wanted to bring that aspect to the forefront.

Photograph: Mark Zimin.

(SPC): How long have you been organizing the East Coast Classic?

(ECC): This was the second year for the event, although the initial planning started in the summer of 2010. The first ECC was held in 2011, now 2012. We have held both year's events on the first weekend in June.

(SPC): Why is the ECC a unique rally and different from other scooter rallies.
(ECC): ECC is unique in several ways. 1st, for the past 2 years ECC has been held in Wildwood, NJ, a location which in and of itself is quite unique. From the preserved 50's and 60's beach town architecture, to the lime rickeys and boardwalk "culture," amusement parks, & the beach itself, there's a whole lot to see and do in Wildwood, even outside of scootering. 

So, as you can see, holding the event at the beach is another thing that it distinguishes it from other rallies, that are either held at campsites or within cities (with the exception of the Cocoa Beach rally held in Florida).Also, whereas the most common trend for rallies is for the the planning group to come from the same geographic location, while ours is disparate. Currently, we are from Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, and New Haven. And our host city for both years so far, is foreign to all of us!

(SPC): Where are most of your participants coming from?
(ECC): We draw a conglomeration of scooterists spread out over the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and even the South and Mid-West, rather than from just one geographic location. We've had attendees from as far as Atlanta, St. Louis, Columbus, and Boston.

(SPC): What is the furthest someone rode a scooter to get to ECC?
(ECC): So far, Boston is our record!

Photograph: Mark Zimin.

Featured Sourpuss Retailer: Cats Like Us

Sourpuss(SP):  

Give us a little background on Cats Like Us.

  

Cats Like Us (CLU):

Well the Cats Like Us background starts with my background. I grew up loving rockabilly before I knew what it was.  I was a little girl obsessed with big puffy skirts and saddle shoes as a result of being raised on Happy Days and Shanana.  I couldn’t understand why everyday people didn’t wear the fabulous outfits found on these TV shows.

Everyday was Halloween and dressing in theme was my new passion.  Some days I wanted to be Bettie Page, some days Marlene Dietrich, maybe a 60s go-go dancer, or June Cleaver, it just depended on the mood I was in.  As a hobby, I would rummage through the thrift store to find the saddest looking vintage garment I could, and visualize what it was like in it’s heyday.  I would lovingly take it home and recreate all of it’s splendor with a dye job and new buttons. Ta da fabulous new clothes!

My husband, Andrew, and I enjoy dressing in vintage and retro clothes to go out swing dancing, to car shows, to tiki bars and concerts and have long been fans of vintage and retro clothing.  A few years ago we had the opportunity to attend the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender in Las Vegas -- basically the Lollapalooza of the rockabilly / pin-up / classic car culture world.  We had such a great time that on the plane home we started talking about creating our own store to bring those fashions to Western New York.  After doing some research and realizing there are no other similar stores in Western New York, we pursued the idea and made it a reality.

Lots of times people ask about the name, here’s the short of it… funny story, the name was one of the hardest parts of opening up our store.  We had a running list of possibilities ranging from “Shindig” (which I still like) to “The Black Cat”, but none of them seemed right.  We wanted something Kitschy and vintage-cool but nothing really came to us. Until one day we were listening to Cats Like Us by the Hillbilly Hellcats, one of our favorite bands, and the lyrics described what we want our store to be about.  Then we thought what a great name for our store, and it was settled.  The Hillbilly Hellcats know about Cats Like Us, the retro clothing store, and we met Chuck H. the singer, and he was really gracious about it. They haven’t been to our store yet, but  hopefully someday they’ll stop by.

 

(SP): Is it just the 2 of you? How are the daily duties split?

(CLU):Yes, it’s just the two of us. I do all the customer service, answering the phone, emails. Run the store on a daily basis, opening, closing, cashing out, deposits. Monthly accounting. Modeling for the online store. Packing and shipping web orders. Buying new merchandise, receiving merchandise, descriptions for merchandise, tagging, displays, folding or hanging and steaming merchandise. Creating purchase orders and receiving vouchers. Restocking merchandise. Making facebook, twitter and pinterest posts. Coming up with monthly in store events and marketing them. Working with local designers on exclusive products. Being the street team and going to related retro events.

Andrew maintains catslikeus.com and fixes any glitches that come along. He designs all the ads both print and banner. Is in charge of sponsorships and marketing. Can run the store, pack and ship orders, and also makes posts. He is always looking for new ways to be more efficient and save time and money while keeping up on technology and can do practically everything I do as well.

We are dedicated and believe in real customer service.  That's retro right?  Our small size allows us to be very proactive in terms of customer service.  In our store customers are greeted at the door and get our full attention.  On-line orders are usually fulfilled and shipped

the same day.  We answer the phone and return emails the same day.  We're real people and like to help customers.

My business experience and Andrew’s marketing and web experience have allowed us to do almost everything needed to run Cats Like Us.  All we need to do now is continue our winning formula and grow.

Hit the Break to read more of the Interview and see more Photos!