One thing I strive to do as a woman is support other women. No one else is going to do it, right? For this reason, I was absolutely ecstatic when my tattoo artist opened her own shop called Juniper Moon Tattoo with a fellow female artist. This grlpwr driven shop is nestled in the beautiful mountain town of Twain Harte, California.
Brook Bailey and Kelly Premeaux are two of the most talented tattoo artists I know, and I have the honor of having some of my very own Brook Bailey artwork upon my limbs. Brook has actually done the majority of my tattoos at this point and I visit her to get poked every other month or so. I am slowly turning into a walking Brook Bailey billboard, I should probably just get her business card tattooed on my palm.
When you pull off the highway towards Twain Harte, you are greeted by majestic trees and cute, quaint shops. Upon entering Juniper Moon Tattoo you feel immediate warmth and tranquility. It feels nothing like the anxiety fest that most shops have adopted as their go-to design solution. You know, the red or black walls, floor to ceiling flash art and only enough room to scoot around people and furniture shouting “EXCUSE ME!” over System of a Down turned up to the max. I already did wake up and put on a little makeup, thank you very much. It gives me anxiety just thinking about it. No, instead your heart and soul gather the peaceful vibes of a shop decorated by women. A light and beautiful space that is crowned by a carousel horse.
Kristan said it best, it feels like so much more than a tattoo shop. Brook and Kelly have even taken on two apprentices who are also powerful females and will soon be decorating the skin of Twain Harte as well as micro-blading those of us that went a little too far with the tweezing in the 90s. Guilty. Brook and Kelly held a grand opening party and turned out a wonderful event. There were children running around with temporary tattooed chest pieces and arm jammers.
There was wine and cheese, a photo booth, and my favorite jewelry vender: The Jewelry Slinger. She has a stunning collection of antique rings, bracelets, pins, earrings. I managed to snag a petrified wood ring that I am obsessed with.
Three of us creatives happened to meet up with each other. Kristan, Sandra and I are huge fans of Brook’s artwork and Kristan and Brook have been friends for years.
After the party, we headed to a local café where we listened to the sweet sounds of Willy Tea Taylor. If you haven’t heard of him, do yourself a favor and listen to the Knuckleball Prime album. His words and melodies were the perfect cap to a night in the mountains celebrating Juniper Moon Tattoo.
Creative Collective 