Grizzly Tattoo

Reviews 5

JO

John Halkem

My wife and I were looking for tattoos for each other. We had never had a tattoo before and for valentines we both wanted each others name. We wanted the tattoo to be loving, and a statement piece that did not look corny. This was a tough hunt. We searched web site after website, and looked at portfolio after portfolio...and then we stumbled upon Eric Quales work. We were blown away. This is the person that we wanted to talk to about our tattoos after we had viewed a few of his pieces online. We called Grizzly Tattoo.....and just the name kind of scared us until a very personable, well versed fellow answered the phone and he was very kind and helpful as well as being very patient with our uneducated tattoo questions and set up an appointment to meet Eric. We then walked into Grizzly tattoo...and you hear the guns going...people waiting in the waiting room to see their favorite artist. Many examples on every wall on what you can choose...it really got overwhelming in a fun way. We were greeted at the little wooden reception desk that is at chest level, and were told that Eric would be right out to talk with us. As my wife and I waited, we were looking at all of the amazing artwork on the walls......then Eric Quale came out. He is a humble soft spoken man with a smile who listens to your every word. We explained to him why we were here, and what we wanted. He then pulled out a pencil and started sketching...watching this artist work...our mouths fell open. It took him just a few minutes, on a piece of white paper with just a pencil to design something so much better than we ever dreamed of. There it was. We had searched and debated for weeks...and in less than 10 minutes...Eric Quale had masterfully designed something that is going on our bodies for life...and it was perfect. We then asked him "When can we have this done?" He said he was booked out for over a month...and from what I just witnessed I can see why...and then he said "I just had a cancellation do you want to do this now?" I was scared to death as I said "Yes". This is our first tattoo and just the comfortable feeling and the reassurance that comes across when talking to Eric...my fears were soon gone. My wife sat down first.....As the ink gun hit her skin, we watched this magician at work. In 90 minutes this man had made a dream...into reality. As I watched him shade in a rose to absolute perfection, I was in awe at the precision, and the beauty that he had just created before my eyes. When it was complete...my wife and I stood speechless. Words can not describe what just happened. Then it was my turn. My palms were sweating...I was nervous. I had never done anything like this. I asked if this hurts. Eric said "They all do." As the ink gun touched my arm I winced a little bit...but my fear of the pain was much greater than it actually is. I watched as this master performed again. I stood up and hugged my wife. This is what we dreamed of for each other. We woke up this morning...the day after. We were laying in bed just looking at what we had done. Eric Quale....thank you so much. This is a very special gift that you have given us. You will have customer after customer...and you may not remember us...but we will always remember you. Thank you Eric for enhancing our lives.

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LL

Lloyd Phillips

Long story short: professional, super friendly, down-to-earth, great vibe, hospital-level cleanliness. Long story: Found Shaunas artwork online, and her style fit the concept that I was going for. She was totally patient with my over-the-top explanation of what I wanted, really helpful even though she was clearly very busy, and professional from the beginning. When she showed me the sketch she had turned out, it turns out that she did a little independent research of her own. She really went out of her way to make the piece extremely intricate and it was absolutely perfect. Went in for my first session, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats on the stereo and friendly staff all around. Great, great vibe. Game of Death was even playing on a computer nearby, so I got to see a little kung-fu action while getting worked on. Bonus! Like a dummy, I picked a huge chest piece for my first real tattoo. Shauna advised me that it would be "challenging," and was not lying. The atmosphere in Grizzly is so awesome, though, that I was mostly distracted and having a blast. Going back twice more to finish the first piece, will continue to return until Im bankrupt. Thanks, Grizzly!

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MI

Michael Sanchez

I had a most excellent experience with Chris at Grizzly Tattoo! After spending HOURS looking through artists online portfolios, his immediately jumped out at me as unique and suited to what I was looking for. I scheduled a consultation with him and we met to discuss my ideas. He listened to what I had to say, asked some clarifying questions, and was very professional yet friendly and easy to talk to. We scheduled my appointment and he worked on a design. When he showed it to me, it totally blew me out of the water: I was thrilled! I made a couple of tweaks, he made the changes, and the he went to work. The process itself wasnt a ton of fun (youre getting stabbed with a needle, after all!), but Chris did a great job of making me comfortable throughout the entire session. When it was over, my tattoo was even better looking than I thought it would be--which I didnt think was possible! I would highly recommend Chris at Grizzly Tattoo to anybody that was thinking about getting inked. It was a very positive experience from start to finish, and if I were ever to get another tattoo, I would no doubt come back here.

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CH

Chase Harrison

Grizzly as a whole seems great, though I can only really rate based on my experience with the artist who did my piece. Artist Chris Valkov created a piece based on my idea/story, and it ended up being a totally unique and personalized piece that Im 100% happy with. It seems that there are artists here to fit any type of customer, from those looking for a small fun piece to those wanting something totally personal and bold. I searched Portland for a shop/artist that I was confident in for over 2 years before stumbling on Grizzly, and their quality and pricing are miles above the other shops filled with bros and uptight hipsters who do average work. I would highly recommend this shop (and Chris in particular) if you are looking for a good tattoo experience.

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MI

Michelle Sanders

I walked in, and trusting my intuition, booked with Tyler, without doing any research. I knew he was the right artist, just by the way he handled conversation with a stranger, and the confidence he and his shop exuded. I gave him artistic freedom with only a few requests, and what he came up exceeded anything I could have thought of. It was only 2 hours into my first session that I learned that this amazing shop was his - lucky me! Super professional, the rest of the staff were engaging and supportive during the last 30 minutes of my 4 hour session (I was pretty much hamburger by then). Clean, friendly and smart, with a hefty dash of badass. Coming back for more very soon.

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