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Chinebox Ink opens expanded art operation in Warren
By Kalea Hall
WARREN
Behind a door in the David Grohl Alley and up the stairs are three artists – who also happen to tattoo.
Aaron Chine, owner of Chinebox Ink, Joe “Lil Joe” Perry, and Derek “Doc” Fields have found the perfect place to call home for their art and their ink business.
Their new digs, at 179 W. Market St., opened a few weeks back as an expanded operation from the former Austintown spot on Mahoning Avenue, where Chine had a procedure room and Perry apprenticed.
“We wanted to do it differently,” Chine said of the shop. “We want it be [about] art. We were all artists before tattooists.”
That’s why the shop has a dedicated spot for art by all three artists who tattoo there, and works by outside artists.
Some of the art gallery pieces will become permanent pieces in David Grohl Alley, where Chine and others already have donated a lot of time and art to making it a Mahoning Valley treasure. For those who don’t know, Dave Grohl, frontman of the Foo Fighters and former drummer in Nirvana, is a Warren native. The alley pays homage to his musical mastermind with art. Paintings of Grohl line the alley, along with a metal sculpture of Grohl drumming and a metal guitar sculpture Chine made that doubles as a bike rack.
The surroundings make for the perfect entrance to the artists’ tattoo shop.
Chine has been tattooing for about 10 years now, but he’s been an artist his whole life. He opened the Austintown shop about eight years ago, and three years ago realized he needed more space.
“As much as I loved the Austintown shop, it was way too small,” he said. “I just had to wait for the right space.”
He got a call from the guy who owns the Warren spot and found out it was open. It was in Warren, where Chine lives, and in David Grohl Alley, and had more space – four procedure rooms instead of one, and more room for art.
“It happened real fast,” Chine said.
The dream came true for Chine and his fellow artists. The spot was seemingly perfect. There had to be a few adjustments made, but nothing too serious.
The spot is inviting, even for grandmas who may second-guess walking into a tattoo shop. The wood flooring and exposed brick wall make the spot seem vast, but homey. The art makes it traditional, yet edgy. And the guys behind the counter bring a friendly attitude and experienced artistry.
Like the art on the walls, the tattoos are custom. Clients will not see any flash tattoo cards hanging, ready to be tattooed on someone. The art done here, whether on canvas or skin, is truly custom, and the three take pride in that. They work with clients for the time that’s needed to develop their idea into a reality so it comes alive on their skin.
“We really genuinely care about the art,” Chine said. “That’s why these are the guys who are here. We care about our product. I want us all to grow as artists and want everyone to leave today and feel they did the best they can as artists.”
Chine helped Perry to learn the art of tattooing while he was an apprentice for two years. Perry was originally a customer of Chine’s, and the two formed a friendship because they were both artists. In fact, Perry used to be a high-school art teacher.
“It was a lot of watching, and then I started to take on certain duties,” Perry said.
In May, Perry got his license from the state to tattoo.
Fields has been tattooing for more than 10 years. Chine and Fields worked in shops right next to each other, admired each other’s work and developed a friendship. It’s about the art for Perry, too.
“I wanted to do something with art, and I wanted to expand in some way,” he said. “It was one of those things where I said yes and didn’t look back.”
He says he mainly became a tattoo artist “because of these old guys who have tattoos and they are all still proud of what they did 40 to 50 years prior.”
The entrance to Chinebox Ink is off David Grohl Alley.
Every Wednesday is “Walk-in Wednesday” where the three artists will take walk-in customers.