Hello APGD
Hello APGD is a neighborhood podcast that highlights the people who make the Audubon Park Garden District one of the most celebrated destination neighborhoods in Central Florida. We chat with business owners, community leaders, volunteers, long-time residents, artists, and other influential locals; documenting the untold stories of this magical place just minutes away from Downtown Orlando.
Hello APGD
Heather Law - Tattoo Artist and Owner of Lucky Horse Tattoo
Meet Heather—gifted tattoo artist and shop owner of the beloved Lucky Horse Tattoo in Audubon Park. Originally from Naples, FL; Heather found her community in a Cape Coral tattoo shop almost two decades ago before having her life uprooted last year by Hurricane Ian. Despite the hardships of the climate here (political and otherwise), Heather has so much love for all things Florida.
Intro: 0:12
Hi friends, thank you for joining us for another episode of Hello APGD, a neighborhood podcast about the Audubon Park Garden District in Orlando, Florida. I'm your host, Michael Lothrop, and my guest today is Heather Law, owner and tattoo artist at Lucky Horse Tattoo, located at 2913 Corrine Drive. Be sure to follow Heather Law Tattoo and Lucky Horse Tattoo on Instagram to see Heather's work and for upcoming events. If you'd like to be a guest on the show or if you'd like to be a sponsor, please feel free to message me on Instagram at HelloAPGDpod. Thank you for listening,
MIchael:
And with me today is Heather Law, owner and tattoo artist at Lucky Horse Tattoo, Heather welcome.
Heather: 1:05
Thank you.
Michael: 1:06
Thank you for being here. I'm so excited to talk to you today. Madison from Stardust had told me about you, since you are in Audubon Park, and she's like, yeah, heather's amazing, you need to definitely get her on the show.
Heather: 1:18
Oh well, that makes me feel good.
Michael: 1:19
What a great reputation.
Heather: 1:21
That's good, because I'm working hard on that.
Michael: 1:23
Excellent. That's so important. I mean, when you're a tattoo artist, people are going to be spending a couple hours minimum with you.
Heather: 1:29
Minimum.
Michael: 1:30
So you got to get along and adapt to all sorts of styles of people.
Heather: 1:36
I'm sure, yes, so many.
Michael: 1:39
A lot of personalities. How did you get into tattooing like initially?
Heather: 1:45
I got my first tattoo when I was 19, and when I got tattooed it was like a transitional period in my life, you know. Like right out of high school, me and the person that I was dating all throughout high school broke up. So it was like I'm going to go do something for me, because a lot of times I'm a people pleaser and I do everything for everybody else.
Michael: 2:06
Same. I'm a recovering people pleaser. Yeah, it's so hard. I'm probably going to be this way for the rest of my life. Oh, it's ongoing, yeah, yeah.
Heather: 2:14
So I got my first tattoo and then when I got the tattoo me, and that tattoo or his name is Mark Stewart immediately clicked and he's like, yeah, I think you would love my wife and we just opened up the shop kind of thing. And he's like, if you ever want to hang out, and then pretty much we were all inseparable. So I was just always at the shop because I was hanging out with, because I needed my own new friends also. It's not like my old friends were bad but there was the drama of breaking up and again I needed a fresh start. Basically, I spent every day at the tattoo shop because I was spending every day with my friends and so it wasn't that big of a deal. And I worked there for it wasn't working, it was hanging out. But I was also working because I'm not good at sitting for a year. And then one day I was just sitting around doodling because I've cleaned everything there was to clean, and he's like who drew this? And I'm like me. And he goes, I didn't know you could draw. And I was like, oh, I can't In comparison to you guys. You know what you're doing, I'm just doodling. And he's like no, like you got the gist of this. And then, like, maybe a couple months down the road, he's like what would you think about a premonition? And I was like no, he's like what? Like no, I would never want to do that. I go, I could ruin somebody's life forever.
Michael: 3:30
It's permanent, right yeah?
Heather: 3:33
Like that does not excate me how permanent it is, and to this day. I still am afraid of like every tattoo I do, because like what if? What if? Something bad happens you know, it's so daunting it is Like every day of my life. I permanently affect someone's life. Do you know how crazy that is?
Michael: 3:49
It's wild it's insane. It's wild.
Heather: 3:52
But like I had this like weird epiphany moment where it was like one day I was just helping out the shop and I walked by the mirror and I like looked at myself and I'm like, what am I doing? I could work every day with my best friend, meeting incredible people making a living doing art, and barely anyone gets to do that. And I'm not a risk taker personally yeah same. I'm a very straight and narrow kind of person. I might not look like it, but I am Like example. I'm like straight edge. I've never drank ever in my life. I've never done a drug ever in my life, so I taking a risk is really scary for me, and this is my livelihood too. What if I'm terrible at it and I never make money? So? But I decided to take a risk and I've been tattooing ever since. Me and him are still best friends. I still work at that shop. It's down in Cape Coral. It's called Forever Tattoo. That's a shirt I'm wearing.
Michael: 4:43
Oh nice, and is that where you're from originally?
Heather: 4:46
Yes, cape Coral. Okay, cape Coral, florida. Well, fort Myers, cape Coral, kind of the same thing, and that's on the Gulf Coast.
Michael: 4:52
Yes, kind of down near.
Heather: 4:53
Naples, like I hit by the hurricane. Yeah, and that's why I'm here now all the time.
Michael: 4:58
Yeah, yeah.
Heather: 4:59
Because I lost the house. It was a house I rented. I didn't own it, thank God, but I lived there for like in that house for like five or six years, so I lost all of my stuff in that hurricane, yeah, so my house flooded, the house got destroyed, tree fell on it, the whole smash and so I had to basically relocate up here, because I already was renting a room in a house with my little brother who works at Townies and so I just had to move in, move in, and I didn't have that much stuff, so it was pretty easy.
Michael: 5:33
That's a blessing, right? I guess yeah.
Heather: 5:35
And honestly it kind of was because, like if it happened to any of my coworkers, they didn't have a second house to live in. Yeah. So it was better that it happened to me and no one else.
Michael: 5:45
Yeah, that's not a typical setup. And I mean it's a pretty far commute. How often were you going kind of back and forth? At that time when you were splitting time.
Heather: 5:55
I think I'm did. I meet you in 2020 when I was like first app opening the show.
Michael: 5:58
I think so.
Heather: 5:58
Okay. So in 2020, what I was doing was two weeks, two weeks. So two weeks Orlando, two weeks Cape Coral, and I did that all the way until 2022. And it was killing me. I have to realize that I am so close to 40, not my early 20s anymore, so the back and forth was just too much and like I felt like I wasn't anywhere, like everything was always so rushed. So then I switched my schedule to month to month, so I was a month in Cape Coral and a month up here. I was substantially happier. So part of the reason why I still have to split a little bit of my time is because my entire career was in Cape Coral. So it's like 15, 16 years worth of clients in Cape Coral and I tattooed generations like grandpa parents, kids the kids are now having kids Like it's nuts, so I just have my entire life down there. So right before the hurricane, actually, I had decided to do two months Cape Coral, one month up here, because I'm still building the shop. It's new and I need to be able to make money to afford the shop, so but the hurricane kind of changed my plans, so now I'm just up here. Funny how that works yeah.
Michael: 7:16
The universe said no, this is actually what you're going to do.
Heather: 7:18
So it's okay, though. I have a place here and my shop is doing well, and you know I'm just learning how to. You have to be kind of fluid in life, you know go with whatever is happening, and that is what I'm doing.
Michael: 7:34
Those types of events definitely teach you to be resilient and like, how you react to it is really up to you, but these are things you have zero control over.
Heather: 7:45
You can't change it, cannot, no?
Michael: 7:48
So I mean, there's only so much hurricane prepping you can do. When there's all that water, there's literally nothing you can do Right. It's like where your house is situated how above sea level or below.
Heather: 8:03
And just so everybody knows, if anyone is listening that's from anywhere else. Storm surge is real, you know very, very real, so real yeah. Because that's ultimately what took like half of my city, and it's just that water came in and like took everything out and I think, like probably like where this, that that much water was in the house, so like three feet of water.
Michael: 8:27
I mean, yeah, how do you come back from that? It's like just everything is kind of.
Heather: 8:31
And it's not like normal water.
Michael: 8:33
It's gross water. It's the worst, yeah.
Heather: 8:35
It's gross water, it's seawater, it's sewage, it's fresh water, it is a mix of a bunch of gross. So you just like you have this weird thing because you're trying to like hold on to stuff. You're like, maybe, if I like wash it and clean it, I can save it and you just have to let it go. Yeah, you know, you just have to let it go. But again, there's always like a double-edged sword to everything. So now I've been able to spend more time up here so I'm able to get more clients in up here. So you know, and my shop is, like I said, like my shop is growing. So I have quite a few people who decided they wanted to come work with me and that's been really awesome and we're trying to build more traction, like locally, which is also helpful that you asked me to come on here so I can you know, talk to the neighborhood. try to make sure people know that we're here Of course. I need to get another sign probably. I'm working on it, you know.
Michael: 9:21
Yeah, I mean I love your logo. Your shop is so beautiful, misty, and I have been in there and you have your shop dog there, so they got along famously and it's just so. It's so welcoming and it's such a great location, such a great space. I mean other than parking. We're talking a little bit about parking and the challenges. It's an ongoing theme in this neighborhood. It's like as popularity grows, we're kind of limited to whatever footprint was there before and it's like, yeah, you don't have an extra lot, so it becomes a little tricky People have to park and walk and figure out where that is exactly. I mean, the good news is we have plenty of residential parking. Yes. So it just takes a little bit of creativity and just sort of training the mind that, even though this isn't downtown, when you go downtown you don't get to park right in front of the place that you go to. So consider this an extension of downtown, that we do have the school lot that's sometimes available when it's not school hours and that's like a huge, huge benefit to the neighborhood. But there's always neighborhood parking, just street parking and then you just do a little walk-in.
Heather: 10:39
Yeah, just a little bit, Just a little bit. And the only time when it's ever a real bummer is, like you know, the Florida crazy rain that comes out of nowhere and people are like booking it to my shop because they're getting poured on and I'm like I'm so sorry.
Michael: 10:52
You probably don't want to start out a tattoo session soaking wet.
Heather: 10:55
No, and just you know running in a panic. Yeah. So that's the only time it's a bummer, but I feel like majority of my clients for the shop have been pretty easygoing and I kind of feel like that's like an Orlando thing too. So where I'm from, down south, we have probably more parking lots and we have businesses. So this has been an interesting transition for me. I've now I think I've labeled it this new thing, which is not new like parking anxiety. If I'm going somewhere, I call them and I'm like is there like a parking lot situation or how am I supposed to do this? And they're like no, and I'm like I'm not going. Yeah, it's like all over. I go because immediately I'm stressed out because, like again, cape Coral is like every business has the biggest parking lot in the entire world, like more of the other shop is we have about 50 parking spaces for like a tiny little like shopping closet that's smaller than all the plazas over here. So I'm like, but again, this town is older.
Michael: 11:53
Yes.
Heather: 11:54
You know. So I don't think they were expecting every person on the planet to have their own car. Right.
Michael: 11:59
You know, I just don't think that they were thinking super far in the future you know, yeah, or the population growth that's happened, yeah, and the Navy base was the anchor to this neighborhood before and Lou Gardens, so you had kind of these two things. But the shops serviced the people that lived in the neighborhood and people that worked on the Navy base. So it just, you know, it's just, it's just, it's just, it's just, it's just, it's just has evolved over time and Baldwin Park and a lot of people come over here from there, and Winter Park obviously, so it's, it's sort of the price we pay for having a desirable neighborhood.
Heather: 12:30
Yeah, which is super adorable, and I honestly I love the neighborhood. I love being able to leave work and just walk over to East End or to be able to go to any of the places across the street. I mean, it's really, really nice. It's an amazing neighborhood. I've also gained 30 pounds since I've moved to Orlando, so my self control issues are my only problem, you know.
Michael: 12:51
Yeah, I mean it's. It's hard, I feel like in the summertime to to get through. Like the heat kind of drains you and you're just sort of like where am I going to get this like motivation and energy, and it's like it's sort of like in other places in the winter.
Heather: 13:05
I think people hibernate yeah.
Michael: 13:06
And they tend to gain a bit because they they're, they are eating to like, stay awake. You can't really be active outdoors here, and so it's it's it's just a natural cycle. I think that happens.
Heather: 13:19
You know lineage, I cannot stop going there.
Michael: 13:23
They're croissants, I know so good.
Heather: 13:25
And then all the donuts around here, I'm like I just I can't I can't, so how are you? Loving Orlando. I'm like 30 pounds.
Michael: 13:33
Yeah.
Heather: 13:33
That's how much I'm loving Orlando. 30 pounds Everything next to me is a donut and I cannot say no, I just can't.
Michael: 13:39
No, I mean, I think that at some point you'll get to the like when it's all kind of new and it's just there and you're like oh yeah, yeah it's very convenient, but at some point it's sort of like all right, I'm going to do less of this Because I've you know, kelly's was like I was hitting that real hard for a while there, I also cannot stop doing that. It's that night.
Heather: 14:01
I'm like who like? If we have a long day, it's not like we don't like our clients because we love them. But sometimes our daily thing is pretty intense. Like you have to think about it. We are tattooing people talking and listening to them. They're moving. I am holding a machine that is vibrating. I am dipping into ink and using needles to put pictures on their skin. That is insane. Yeah. I do that every day, all day, while also being a therapist sometimes. So at the end of the day we're kind of like disassociating. I'm like who wants to go get ice cream? So we all make the walk over to Kelly's just to like sit and eat ice cream and talk about the day a little bit. You've got to, yeah.
Michael: 14:44
Yeah, it's critical.
Heather: 14:45
It is.
Michael: 14:46
Gotta recharge, gotta out process what has been out processed to you. And yeah, I'd imagine that that is a time, because I mean tattooing. I feel like it's sort of like a journal sometimes for people, right, it's like they want to mark a time in their life and a specific image or words or something that they are kind of recording and working on something. I kind of consider them like time stamps.
Heather: 15:14
Yeah, you know they're time stamps to different periods of your life, like even me. As you can see, I'm covered. I can remember certain time periods. Why I got that? What was happening in my life during that time. Most of mine don't have profound meanings whatsoever.
Michael: 15:30
It can be decorative, yeah, and at this point.
Heather: 15:32
I'm in love with tattoo art, so that's and it's what I do for a living, so obviously that's all the meaning I really need. But yeah, they're like time stamps to their lives and a lot of people they're getting them for memorials or, you know, they're treating themselves because, like, they've overcome something self-esteem. Some people just want to do it because it makes them feel good, so they can look at their own body and just be pumped, you know. So yeah, it's, but a lot of times too, it's like kind of like a therapy thing and like people and it's not even a bad thing. But you know, I end up having a lot of pretty deep conversations most of the time every day, so it's pretty draining. So ice cream is a perfect solution for me, or I'm going to get tattooed diabetes and then that will be a new problem I have to deal with, but I'm trying to not do that.
Michael: 16:23
Yeah, balance is hard, but balance is important it is. And yeah, I mean just the. It's a very intimate thing getting a tattoo. It's just the physical proximity and the permanence of it, the trust that's there and the personalities involved. It's like it has to be a good match, right, and so you have the style of American traditional or their other specialties.
Heather: 16:50
So we specialize in American traditional If and as you've been in my shop, that is all the artwork on the walls. That's what we're passionate about, that's what we mostly do. But example if somebody came in and they won in Roman numerals for their wedding date, we can absolutely do that. The only thing that we do not do, because none of us are capable. I can't even do it on paper, let alone do it on somebody's skin like photo realism. No, yeah, that's a specific skill set. Right, yeah, that's what we're friends with a lot of people in the neighborhood and local shops and I'm friends with tattooers all over Florida. So if you come in and like we're not capable of doing it, I will point you in the direction of the person who's going to do it the best. Yeah, I'm very big on supporting other tattooers, other shops, as long as they're good, reputable people. Obviously, if somebody's not really safe or I don't recommend it, I just won't even bring them up. Yeah, but, like example, in October there is a tattoo convention down in Tampa and I'm friends with tattooers all over the state of Florida and I decided to have like a giant family reunion. So I like forced all my friends to get together to do this giant convention together and, like I think supporting each other is really important. We're not enemies, we don't have to be against each other.
Michael: 18:10
And there's plenty to go around, right? Yeah, exactly yeah.
Heather: 18:13
And like, at the end of the day, you should. The client should be the most important to some degree. So if somebody comes in, they want a portrait of the grandma. I cannot do that, I just can't. It's not because I don't believe in myself, it's because I cannot physically do it. So you know I'm going to send them to built for speed Like John would be great at that At this point, like Bobby at Rise Above. You know there's just so many talented tattooers and tattoo shops around here also that I have no problem. Yeah. Making sure the client gets the best work. And my friends also eat, right you? Know I think it's about like community and making sure everybody's okay.
Michael: 18:49
Yeah, definitely, and it's nice to specialize in something too where it's like that style. So American traditional tattooing, it's kind of the heavy dark outlines, right, and sort of more primary colors, as you said, not not shading, and it's more drawing style.
Heather: 19:08
Yeah, so American traditional would be more. I don't want to say the word cartoony. I always like kind of bothers a lot of us when people say cartoony. So it's not realism, right yeah? But, like from across the table here, you can see that these are roses, right. You know what they are.
Michael: 19:22
Yes.
Heather: 19:23
The whole thing about American traditional. It's bold lines. I don't want to say simple drawings, but more simple because they're designed to hold up as you age. American traditional is drawn to be a tattoo as I get older, like when I'm 80, this is still going to look like a rose because it's big enough, it's simple enough, it's clean enough that it's going to age well. So it's bold lines and colors would be like doing everything in thirds. So it would be black color, open skin. It's just a certain way that they're drawn and colored in. It makes that style, but like there's so many things that go under that, which is why a lot of times this is kind of complicated for me to explain. I get kind of overwhelmed because there's neo-traditional, which is same thing, bold lines, but they add extra. So there's more lines, more light sources, more color fading and, like I personally, I do American traditional but I kind of teeter on neo-traditional. But you know, again, when you look at my portfolio, I don't actually just do that, I also do black and gray because, like, traditional doesn't mean it has to have color either. There's just black work and same idea, though it's basically more towards the line work, and then it's bold, simple and like. That's why you'll always see I think I have a couple of signs in my shop which is like bold will hold and it just means over time, as you age, these are meant to be tattoos, these are designed that are meant to age with your body. And then each one of us like if you were to look at our lucky horse Instagram, you can see we all do traditional, but we actually have our own style in it. So you need to look at Roxanne, ryan, jeremy and we have John there now, and so if you look at all of our work, we all do traditional, but it all looks wildly different. That's so cool. Yeah. So, going into our shop, you should be able to get colors or style that you want. And again, if we can't, we'll send you to somebody else, but we're not limited to that. Again, if you want an infinity symbol, you want initials, you want a Pinterest tattoo that you saw online, we can definitely do that too. We actually offer Flash Fridays where we're trying to encourage people to get the flash off the walls, because a lot of people don't actually understand what Flash is. So there's a couple of things Tattooers do it to support each other. If I buy Flash from my friend, julio down in Tampa, or same people. He owns a shop called Webz. If he has like a Flash set, I buy it. So I'm supporting him because he painted it and he put the work in. So he sells prints. He'll sell five in a pack. So I give him $300, right for that Flash pack. So that's paying for his time and for him to make money, but also it's his gift back into tattooing because he sold it to me so I can put it on my walls.
Michael: 22:17
Oh nice.
Heather: 22:18
So then I can make my money back and we all can eat. Yet again, it's all about supporting each other, right? So I spend the money on it. I want people to like it and to get it and I want to get my $300 back.
Michael: 22:26
It's original art, right?
Heather: 22:30
But here's the deal too, because everyone's like, well, I want to pick things off the wall because everybody has it. Not necessarily. Julio did that, right, and he only made 20 prints, so there's only 20 shops that have that. So you're actually more likely to get an original thing by going to the shop and picking some Flash off the wall, because a lot of times the tattooers their Flash is actually what's on the wall that's hand painted and they drew it. So we try to encourage people to come collect Flash from the shop and each artist has a book, a line drawing book they can go through. But we're also making sure it's the ability that if you had something on your phone that you were like, oh, I've always wanted to get this, you should be able to come in on a Friday and be able to get it, because we have a little bit more time available to be able to do that. So we're just trying to get more people walking in the door, because a lot of people don't know where we're at, which might be my fault. Again, signage on the road, I don't really have that, I just have it against the building and we're kind of like behind Don's (Auto Tech). And kind of behind Townies. We're tucked a little bit back behind. So again, I'm working on it, getting another sign on the road.
Michael: 23:34
It's a process, yeah, and I'm sure, a word of mouth probably where most of your business comes from, and I think that that's sort of typical of some of the businesses around here too. Your shop just fits in so perfectly with the creativity of the neighborhood and I love that. So Townies is your brother's barbershop.
Heather: 23:55
Well, so he doesn't own it. But he works there. So Colin and Alex own it and my little brother started working there and, as you know, I opened my shop in 2020.
Michael: 24:07
Only the worst time to open something where you need to be in person, right?
Heather: 24:10
And Townies is kind of like the same thing. It's like they opened and it was like maybe like six months in or something like that, like COVID happened, but Townies obviously made it through it. And then my little brother was kind of being like, hey, there's like a spot for rent right next door. Why don't you look into it? And I go, no, it is 2020. Why would I do that? And he's like, well, what's the worst that's going to happen? I'm like I have to pay a year lease and no one's getting tattooed. That's a financial thing, like what are you talking about? And he goes hear me out. He's like the next time you're up here, just look at it. And I looked at it and I talked to Kim, who's the owner. She's the owner of Canine Glamour Club next door.
Michael: 24:51
Right. I love Kim.
Heather: 24:58
She's an angel, she's incredible, she's one of the nicest humans to ever exist. Yes, yes. So I even had this thing, too. It's like “she can let me look at it, but why would she necessarily want a tattoo shop to go in there?” Because half the battle, too, is like people renting to tattoo shops. They don't necessarily want to. They have a stigma with them, even though times have changed, like it’s not the ‘70s and ‘80s anymore and the Hells Angels don't own them.
Michael: 25:20
I know specifically some of the building owners in the neighborhood will not. That's one of their things. They will not rent to tattoo shops.
Heather: 25:29
Right. And I respect that. And so when I went in there and I looked at it, I'm like this space is actually kind of cool and I could visit my little brother, because originally it was just supposed to be a private studio. It was supposed to just be me and–you've been in there–it's enough room for me and, I guess, a yoga studio and then a hangout drawing room. It was just too much room for one person. But that's what I went into doing it, because I used to work at Rise Above as a guest artist. So what I would do is, every once in a while, come up, work for a couple days, and hang out with them. I would hang out with my little brother and then go home, but because of COVID I wasn't able to. So this was a solution where I'm like oh, I can come hang out with anybody anytime I want, because I can come and go as I please, it's not affecting anybody. And so I did a lot of thinking and, after talking to Kim and telling her what I was going to do, she's like, yeah, that's great.
Michael: 26:20
That's awesome. I love that.
Heather: 26:21
And she's like, yeah, I think that would be great, I think you would do great here. So Kim was super encouraging and I just said why not? Again, it's like I'm not good at risk, but I decided to take another one and I figured if it failed I could blame it on 2020. And be like well obviously you don't open up a business during a pandemic. That was a terrible idea, so it wouldn't necessarily just be my fault.
Michael: 26:43
You wouldn't have to own that right?
Heather: 26:45
Yeah, exactly. I could just be like “duh” and then move on.
Michael: 26:49
So you're a bit of a fatalist too. Is that right?
Heather: 26:53
Yeah, and I need something to blame it on. And it was going to be 2020, but we're still here, which is super cool. It's incredible. Yeah, we were able to open up in a pandemic and stay afloat, and we're still here. We have now, I have people who work for me. It was supposed to be a private studio and now a bunch of people are like, “hey, can I come hang out?” I'm like, “yeah, sure, let's all hang out.” So we have this awesome family dynamic. We go to work. I would probably say 94% of the time we're all just having fun. Then we have our because tattoo shops are families. They're really family dynamics. We work together every day, all day doing really stressful stuff. So we have ups and downs.
Michael: 27:31
It's very physically demanding, too.
Heather: 27:35
It is, and mentally. But we have a lot of fun and we have a really amazing crew now. So it's fun to go to work every day and hang out with my coworkers and be silly. My one coworker, Brian, has a thing with Nickelback. Before I thought it was a joke, but now I think he actually does like Nickelback and plays it every other day. I'm like, dude, we're getting a reputation, please stop. And then he's like well, how about Creed? I'm like no! God, what is wrong with you? Stop! But we have fun. We have fun. And so our partners in crime at this point, too, are Townies. So Colin helped me build half of the shop.
Michael:
Nice.
Heather:
And we got it all together. I'm having bad luck with the building. As far as the beginning part. It was like the air conditioning kept breaking, which Kim was doing all she could do, and then I got a mini-split and the mini-split broke and then flooded the space and then I had to get new floors. And now the new floors, which you never saw yet. But then we got new floors. They're super awesome. They're checkerboard VCT tile with a sealant over it that has rainbow glitter. I was super excited about it, oh guess what–that's broken and I have to get that redone. So I think the building might be cursed for me, but we're working through it.
Michael: 28:47
Yeah, I mean it's always going to be something.
Heather: 28:51
Always something. Everyone told me that, too. And they're like “when you own a business it's just a lot of work.” And Forever Tattoo has always been kind of chill. Again, where this year is our 18 years, so we've had little minor things. Even the damn hurricane took my house, Forever Tattoo is fine, not even a tiny bit of water went in there, so we did good. And then in my shop every 10 minutes something's breaking, but it's like all stuff that's very fixable and it's just like I guess like aesthetic stuff.
Michael: 29:23
Sure, and it was a change of use–it was Rick's Dog Deli before, and so the build out. How did that all go down? I mean, how long did construction take?
Heather: 29:36
Not too crazy, because after he left Kim had somebody go in and redo the floors and repaint and all that stuff. And then no offense to Kim's choice. I don't know if Kim listens to this, but at this point it was not a fun color. It was like the most drab off-white color ever. I was like I can't have this.
Michael: 30:00
Maybe she had some leftover paint?
Heather: 30:01
Yeah, I think that might have been the case. I'm like mmm, so it was painting and then, honestly, that shop has already changed a lot too, because I had done little half walls in the beginning, but we've already torn all those down. So, honestly, it's a work in progress. Every couple months I'm like we should do this and then we do something else. So I mean, every single month we're up to something moving, something repainting, something adding more flash. So it's constantly evolving and changing.
Michael: 30:31
Yeah, and you have that creativity and that drive to make those things happen, so that's a perfect space for you to do that in.
Heather: 30:43
Right and I try to like. I'm not good at measuring, I'm an eyeball-it kind of person and that doesn't always work out, so I do try to hire professionals to do things. So, example out front I felt like could have been cooler looking. So I had a local person build a bench for us and then we're going to keep doing stuff like that. Like Kim, there's like a giant backyard behind there and it's super beautiful. So I'm going to kind of like eventually work on the backyard. So clients, if they're wanting to go be quiet or something and have some time, they can go out in the backyard and hang out.
Michael: 31:24
I didn't even realize that, it's a giant backyard. Is it used for anything?
Heather: 31:28
Yeah, It's beautiful, but it's kind of like a oasis back there. The dogs for Kim and stuff.
And then we go out there to talk on the phone. Yeah, I'm really excited. One day I'm going to get a damn hammock and put it back there, because it's this giant oak tree and it's like the whole backyard is shaded. It's really pretty. And then Kim's pretty open-minded. I'm like, “hey, can I paint this?” She's like, “yeah, sounds great.” Like on accident, I made the front kind of look like a mini golf course recently because I brought the checkerboard outside so I redid the outside a little bit. It kind of looks like a mini golf course, but I'm going for like low key fun. So I need to do a little bit more. It's just, it's been so damn hot and every time I'm like, well, I'm going to do more painting. I look outside and it's pouring. I'm like, never mind.
Michael: 32:04
And one month from now will be great.
Heather: 32:06
You know, that's kind of the thing. It's around the corner.
Michael: 32:08
Yeah, we're going to, as we're talking about earlier, we're going to Redlight’s Oktoberfest today and outdoors is a tough sell right now. I mean we do it. We've got to, you know, it's not going to stop us, but we just look forward to when things are going to be easier.
Heather: 32:26
And yeah, absolutely, and like all the markets they have in the middle of summer. Godspeed to all those people.
Michael: 32:32
Yeah.
Heather: 32:33
Because there's a parking lot and a tent and it is hot and I'm like “I cannot do that. I don't know how they all do it. I'm such a baby.”
Michael: 32:39
Yeah, my wife runs the Monday night market, so they are all summer long–setting up in the mid-afternoon, the hottest part of the day. I think it's like us gingers, right, are you a ginger as well?
Heather: 32:53
Well, I'm a blonde, but you'll never know, because I don't even know what my natural hair color is anymore, because it's always something crazy. But I've lived in Florida my whole life, so it's not like I'm new to it, but I will tell you I feel like it's hotter in Orlando. I think it's because we don't have an ocean breeze here.
Michael: 33:12
I think so. Yeah.
Heather: 33:12
And I'm so used to living on the water because, like we live two seconds from the water. That's why my house flooded. So I'm used to like a breeze and the air is always moving and I'm like so much hotter in. Orlando. It's like I feel like the air is stagnant, yeah, and I'm that's something I've grown to get used to, but it definitely is different and I want to eventually start doing the markets with everybody. But I'm like I want to be a wintertime market person.
Michael: 33:39
you know understandably. So yeah, and that's part of why the Monday night market is in the evening because it's yeah, you can't really, and it's like you don't want to compete with the Saturday markets around town and it works and people, regardless of the weather, people shop.
Heather: 33:57
They're always packed it's great, because my shop is closed Sundays and Mondays. So another thing I'm like oh man, eventually maybe we can get on this like market thing, but I always drive by and they're always slammed. Oh yeah, I really do love the sense of community that's up here. I think it's really really neat. I love seeing everyone support each other and trying to do more local stuff. I think it's incredible. But I also am just really bad at summertime, in the middle of the summit, and I'm like I'm going to pass out and die.
Michael: 34:26
if I got this, you know it's not for us. That's kind of the thing. It's like I've helped out with setting up the market. I'm like I don't know how they do it every week.
Heather: 34:35
But heat stroke, you know, I can't do it every week, you know.
Michael: 34:39
I'm built for the north. I don't you know.
Heather: 34:42
And like here's the thing. But here's the craziest thing, because I've lived in Florida my own life. I'm actually not good at cold either, so I need everything to be at like 75 or 80. You need San Diego. Yes, exactly. I can't do freezing because the minute it's below 70, I'm miserable. My whole body aches. I can't stop shivering. My teeth are chattering. People are like Heather. It is only 67. I'm like I can't, can't do it. So I basically I think I've realized I'm just an air conditioned person.
Michael: 35:14
I need air conditioning, you know? Yeah, if you don't like the cold weather, florida is kind of perfect for you. And guess what? I work every day.
Heather: 35:23
I'm indoors every day, so it doesn't really affect me a lot of times. The outdoor weather, you know, and I'm going to tell you right now, I'm the air conditioning at the shop right now Great.
Michael: 35:32
No con would.
Heather: 35:33
It is perfect so basically because I don't even see the light of day. Normally it's me walking into the tattoo shop tattooing until it's dark time and then I go. Oh man, I miss the whole daytime and then I leave. So I definitely have like a vampire's lifestyle. You know, every day we normally leave there around eight or nine, depending on what's going on and how long the tattoos take us. You know.
Michael: 35:53
Uh-huh, yeah. In the summertime that's totally ideal really it works out, yeah. You miss out on the worst parts of the day.
Heather: 36:00
Right, and everyone's like it's so hot, I don't do anything. It doesn't matter, I'm at work, I go. What are you doing during the day Also, aren't you at work? Uh-huh, we're all on air conditioning. Yeah. You know, and again, when it does cool down, it is perfect because it's not freezing out.
Michael: 36:14
Exactly. Yeah, you know, and I don't have to battle the snow.
Heather: 36:16
I know everyone on the planet maybe it's very unpopular, so everyone's going to hate me for saying this. I don't like snow.
Michael: 36:22
I don't like it. No, I mean, I think that a lot of people share that. Yeah, I don't like it. No, it hurts, yeah.
Heather: 36:29
It's not. It ruins your life. If I have to wake up two hours early to shovel my car out of snow, I'm not going to have a job.
Michael: 36:36
Every winter I would have to get a new job because I would just quit. I know.
Heather: 36:39
And I'm not a morning person.
Michael: 36:40
It's funny what people will kind of put up with, and I think that's like sort of the thing too. It's like, well, we've got hurricanes that kind of devastate your life sometimes.
Heather: 36:48
Yeah, sometimes, but I've lived in Florida my whole life and I again I'm like very shy of 40 years old my whole life and one hurricane actually was devastating. Yeah, you know I'm not saying don't take them serious, but in general most of the time they kind of like dissipate by the time because they hit Cuba and stuff.
Michael: 37:03
And there's plenty of warning. So at least there's that. Yeah, you can prepare a little bit and it's not ongoing.
Heather: 37:09
Yeah.
Michael: 37:09
Like snow. The people that have to deal with snow day in, day out in the winter is like it's amazing to me that they do that, right yeah.
Heather: 37:17
And like just putting on five layers of clothes is already annoying because you have to like penguin yourself out of the door. You slip because there's ice underneath the snow. It's so dangerous.
Michael: 37:28
I hate it, I know.
Heather: 37:29
Like I hate it. No part of me wants to do that either.
Michael: 37:31
This is one of the big selling points of living in central Florida. Yeah. You know, I think that that's it's always going to have that here. Is that like oh, you never want to deal with snow again? Yeah, it's guaranteed you will not have to. Yeah.
Heather: 37:45
But you just have to be indoors during the summertime If like. But here's the thing too I think of like you get used to it and you're prepared and you make things like. I started going kayaking a lot with my little brother when he was in town and with a broken knee.
Michael: 37:59
Yeah, how's he doing? Is he doing?
Heather: 38:01
He's like honestly, he's in good spirits, he's like so excited to get around people because this broken knee thing, because like his job is like weight bearing he has a stance Right.
Michael: 38:11
So, no, I can't really sit and give haircuts, right. I mean it's like.
Heather: 38:13
I mean like if they're going to figure it out, because he's going to lose his mind if he but they're saying it's going to be 10 to 12 weeks, maybe longer, because he broke his leg and his knee. It's like his tibia plateau and part of his knee. How did it happen? He slipped on beer at. Will's oh no yeah. And he was only at the show for like 10 seconds. What yeah, like he went to honestly I don't remember what band he went to see but like he got the beer and he walked over to where the show was and slipped on beer and just he did it in a way that his foot and his leg went one way and his hip and his body went the other way. I keep hitting the mic and it was just the amount of pressure at the right point and it just shattered everything which, like he was so bummed too because, like he was like going to the gym and like he's like of really positive about everything. Work was kind of great because like it was starting to pick up again and then that happened.
Michael: 39:10
So yeah, after a pandemic and dealing with that.
Heather: 39:15
Yeah, so he's right now what Townies is doing. I was supposed to wear that shirt and I forgot. I designed a t-shirt the Townies is selling right now to raise money for him, because the thing is, he does have insurance, right, that's awesome. But who has like six months worth of rent saved up? Right. Just in case you shatter your knee into millions of pieces. Not a lot of people have that.
Michael: 39:38
Yeah.
Heather: 39:39
So we have t-shirts for sale at Townies where the profit goes to Mick. Brent at Redlight. Redlight is going to host an event like a fundraiser. I'm sure that at some point he'll post it, so the proceeds of the beer will go to Mick. September 24th, on a Sunday, we're hosting a flash event to raise money for my little brother, just so he can like not get his car repoed and lose his place. Yeah, you know because, of course, I moved out a month before this happened, oh my God. So he's like cool, my rent doubled and neat, you know.
Michael: 40:15
Wow.
Heather: 40:16
But he's doing as best as he can. He's putting together Legos and playing Animal Crossing, you know he's doing his best, catching up on the important stuff. Yeah, you know we're trying to make sure he stays afloat because obviously we all really care about him in Townies has been amazing to him. So he doesn't want none of them want him to not get back to work, and to no one, because, like also, if you're like super stressed out about money, that's not really helping your recovery.
Michael: 40:41
No, because you're like in panic mode. Stress is really bad for that, right your cortisol levels go up.
Heather: 40:46
Is it cortisol?
Michael: 40:47
Yeah, what is that?
Heather: 40:48
Yeah, like those go up and we want him to just be able to chill, relax heal, do his physical therapy and get back to work.
Michael: 40:54
Yeah, and it sounds like he's on track to do that.
Heather: 40:57
Yeah.
Michael: 40:57
It just will take time and it's good that he's got the community support and he's in a place with such a supportive community as well.
Heather: 41:04
Right, yeah, that's cool and all the local people are like, so ready to get their haircuts. Yeah, you know, and his coworkers they're picking up the slack right, like a lot of his clients are going to them for the time being and they're like dude, you need to get back here. You know I have now too many haircuts that I'm stressed out, so you need to get back to work. You know, I think it's like this upcoming Wednesday he's coming to get the stitches taken out, but right now he's stuck in Cape Coral with our family and they're taking care of him because, like he wanted to stay with me and I'm like I can't work full-time, homie, and take care of you and you're twice my size.
Michael: 41:38
Yeah.
Heather: 41:39
So if you fall in the shower, I can't help you.
Michael: 41:41
You just live there and you've got family close enough by. So that's that that works out, yeah exactly.
Heather: 41:47
It was like such a bummer too, because, like they told him, like the incision was only going to be like three or four inches and maybe like 10 staples, turns out the incision is like 15 inches long. He has 50 stitches. It was pretty intense. So everyone, if you go to shows, just be careful.
Michael: 42:04
We're good shoes that don't slip. Yeah, if you're going to go to shows.
Heather: 42:09
Get those like work shoes for like restaurants. Be super prepared, because you know what's crazy too. My coworker Tyler who's also all of my coworkers, by the way are my friends. They get really offended that. I say coworker, but it shows also how I know them. But my coworker Tyler, who's also my other best friend, he went to a show, same thing, slipped and fell on beer and he had been drinking a little bit not like shit-faced or anything like that. But when he went to like go put his hand down, he didn't really like put his hand out, he just kind of punched the floor and he shattered his hand. So last time he was in Orlando and went to a show he broke his hand. Might he add, he's a tattooer. So, guess what? We need Our hands. So he was out of work for a really long time because I'm like you know what? Everyone? We are too old to go to shows. Now I go. We get to be the old people who are in the back. We just have to accept that. That's who we are now. We are in the back and you don't get to have fun.
Michael: 43:10
Just watch the band. That's where you'll find me. Yeah, and that's who I am.
Heather: 43:13
Because, like I think I mean a couple of years back, like I went to a show and somebody stage dove into my face and my eye was swollen shut for like a week and you need that eye to tattoo, so we just need all these body parts to do our careers. So I'm now officially in the back and I don't even care, that's who I am now. I'm the back person, you know.
Michael: 43:34
Yeah, that's how you learn sometimes.
Heather: 43:36
Yeah, I was fired and you get burned. And again when I was in my like 18, 20s I was like you know, you always bounce back from stuff really quick. Yeah, you don't bounce back.
Michael: 43:47
No, no, but you can still go to their shows, it's yeah, exactly, Everyone still supports.
Heather: 43:52
Still go to the shows, just be careful, yeah exactly. No, no the risks. Yeah, make good decisions. Wear good shoes, be comfortable, stay hydrated.
Michael: 44:02
Yeah.
Heather: 44:03
Just to go to a show. I'm such an old person now, yeah.
Michael: 44:07
I'm that way too. I'm very risk averse and I'm very I think. I think it comes with being an empath and I'm like kind of extreme on the empath scale. So when, when people get hurt, it like hurts me.
Heather: 44:25
Same, you know. And I think it's a good quality to be empathetic. I think I saw on TikTok. It's probably not a real statistic or anything, but I guess a very amount of small people actually on this planet have empathy like actual, true empathy and our empaths. Yeah, I think it's like something like less than like 20%, which is like a very small percentage of the whole world. So I take everything like.
Michael: 44:45
I hope that's not true. It does feel kind of true, doesn't it?
Heather: 44:50
It does, it's kind of a bummer. I realized that a lot in 2020, too.
Michael: 44:52
Do you think everybody has the capacity for empathy and they just don't practice it? Is it like?
Heather: 44:56
I think really what it is, it's just people just don't have it, it's a small percentage of people that actually have the ability and the emotional bandwidth to do that.
Michael: 45:07
Do you think we took too much of it, so that's why they don't have any, maybe? Yeah, we stole it all.
Heather: 45:12
You know, but I don't want it.
Michael: 45:14
I don't want that much of it, so I could spare like 60% or something I would like to make sure everybody has it.
Heather: 45:20
So it's not just all me, because I take it also to the heart. Yeah, you know. I want my brother like hurt himself. I did not hurt myself, but immediately I'm like oh no, I feel terrible and like you feel an injury, just like emotionally or yeah just the stress that's on him.
Michael: 45:36
I immediately was like, oh no yeah you know, because I did figure out how to solve these problems.
Heather: 45:41
Yeah, and he cannot actually do anything about it. So and it's not like he was being irresponsible he literally went into a show for two seconds. Yeah and again, Wally, if you're listening, I still blame you, because Mick wasn't even gonna go to the show, and then, Brent, I heard you were behind it also, so you both are to blame. You know, because he didn't want to go out. He's like no, everyone, I'm gonna go home, I have to wake up early to go to the gym and they're like come on. And then he went and hurt himself.
Michael: 46:09
Do you remember what show it was?
Heather: 46:11
It was like a Like an emo 90s like emo band was playing interesting. Yeah, and again he, he like, liked them. But he just like he didn't really want to go out. And then Wally and Brett like really really made him feel guilty about it. So then he went out and then ruined his life. Yeah, you know whatever.
Michael: 46:29
Oh my god. What does it all mean? I guess there's a go fund me to help with that as well.
Heather: 46:35
So we're all trying to do some stuff to like, get him an extra couple bucks. So if anyone is interested in collecting a fun little tattoo, September 24th we're doing a flash day. We're gonna post the designs ahead of time. Even if you don't like the designs, maybe you have a friend or somebody who's also into collecting. Maybe you can point them in that direction, because all the uh profits are going to go to him to help Make sure he can pay his bills while he's recovering and he's not stressed out.
Michael: 47:01
Yeah, what an amazing thing to be able to do to that's uh, that's so important yeah us dedicating some of our time to make sure he's okay.
Heather: 47:09
Like that's, the cool thing about tattooing is I'm able to Help people as much as possible. Like Forever Tattoo. We've done a ton of fundraisers down in Cape Coral. I haven't done a ton up here yet because I'm still getting to know the neighborhood and the different things, but I'm big on trying to help the community and doing stuff because it really is just me donating some time and a little bit of my own money. And normally we can raise a lot Like built for speed, does this thing. I'm still not asking for it, which is a huge global thing, and basically what they do is there's a tattoo shop in every town that can do it, and what you do is you do the event and it's to help victims of sexual assault and sexual abuse. So you find a local organization that you want to donate the money to, but it's crazy because it has such a big impact in the world. There's people all over the world doing it on the same day. Yeah, so it's really cool what the tattoo community can do. So every year, like I normally will go down to Fort Lauderdale because my friend Erin O'Day she owns a shop called Cross Keys but which, might add, she's up in Orlando like every other month everybody. So if you want to be tattooed by her, I have friends all over always coming into the shop. She's an incredible human being. She, honestly, I haven't met anybody like more kind than her. She's great. She hosts that event and one time, I think, we raised like $15,000. Wow, you know to be able to help victims of stuff like. So it's like therapy, getting you know help and it's. It's incredible, so built for speed. Does that every year? Um, and I'm big on animals. I love animals, yeah and animals can't help themselves. They can't raise money for themselves. So eventually, my goal is to, like every year, during the winter time, when it's not as hot, um host like an event and give to like an animal charity, to make sure you know they have like what they can do to save pets and make sure they don't, you know, um, run out of funds and money and food and all that stuff to be able to take care of them. So that's a really cool thing Tattoo shop can do, because we can just donate one day and hopefully raise like a couple thousand dollars. Yeah to be able to help someone or something.
Michael: 49:21
Yeah, not. Not many people can do that. No to that level. So it's such a helpful thing that that's. That's become kind of part of the culture too, right.
Heather: 49:31
And as long as people are supportive and come get tattooed, we can, like, give back to somebody else. And you know, um, the tattoos are going to be $150 to $200, depending on which one you pick and if you want it to be color or black, blackwork. Um, our shot minimums $150. So it'd be the same, but you're getting something a little bit more substantial.
Michael: 49:47
That's great.
Heather: 49:48
And it's something that we can do relatively quick and get a lot of people in um. And, yes, you'll be matching, but every tattooer is going to make it slightly different, so it's still going to be unique to you and you help somebody. Yeah and you get to keep it forever all good things yeah versus just buying a t-shirt that may, you know, not hold up the test of time, depending on weight In my case. Or, you know, coffee stains that's white t-shirts.
Michael: 50:15
I can't do it.
Heather: 50:16
Yeah, Collin was wearing the shirt. He came in from Townies and he was wearing the shirt. He's like I haven't ruined it yet and I'm only halfway through the day. I'm like congratulations.
Michael: 50:23
He's like I already had one coffee and like you're doing great you know, yeah, it only takes one and then it's uh, yeah, you don't want to be wearing that stain forever.
Heather: 50:33
No, yeah and a white t-shirt. That's why I don't own any, it's not safe.
Michael:
Same. It's, it's all black all the time for me.
Heather:
Yeah because coffee is basically the number one and I start my day. So I immediately start my day by ruining the t-shirt, and then I have to carry on with the day. I'm like, yes, I know, I have so much coffee on my shirt right now. Uh, I never spill it. When it's a black t-shirt, though, yeah yeah, I know, same only when I'm wearing a white shirt. So the shirt I just made for townies, I'm pretty sure it's going to be doomed immediately, but I just haven't worn it. You know I'm not going to, it's going to stay in my closet. Why did it have to be white you know, well, it was partially my fault because you know it's crazy. So I do art for a living and I'm young enough that, like I'm the generation, I'm uh, I'm a millennial. Um, so you know, we grew up with technology, but even in high school I failed Photoshop every year, like technology class, but the teacher was like Heather, what is wrong with you? Why can you not pass this? I go, I don't know, I don't understand computers.
Michael: 51:37
I just don't get them. It's, they're not for you. No, I'm just not good at it. Yeah.
Heather: 51:42
So, like a lot of like younger people, they're great having iPads, right. So I have an iPad, that's how I like draw all these days, um, but I still don't even know how to use the iPad effectively. So, like there's constantly I'm like why can't I just do this thing? And Jeremy's like you can. So, like my, my coworker will come over you. He's like you just do this and this. And I'm like, damn it, I go. I've been working on this for five hours Like I should have just asked somebody and, yes, everyone. I know YouTube is an option but, I also get frustrated with that. Yeah, so, um, when I was designing the t-shirt, I was trying to figure out how to make it where it's like reverse, and I don't know why my brain doesn't work that way, it just does it. So my co-workers are like just color it black, like you normally would black shading, and they're like just invert the image, so then it'd be white. I'm like, oh, that's genius. I'm like that's so easy. And then I did the thing which money I took me eternity because I don't know how to use my iPad. And then I did the invert the image and it looked like crap. Oh no it just looked like crap. I'm like, guys, this looks like crap and they're like it sure does. And I go, I don't know how to make it better. And they're like Just making on a white t-shirt. And I'm like, yep, that's a solution. So I sent it to call and I go, you're just gonna have to put on a white t-shirt. I don't know how to color this right for a black t-shirt. I'm dumb. And he's like, yeah, dude, it's gonna look great. I'm like, maybe do a cream color shirt, you know. So they're like a cream color, but they look really cool. So if anyone's into traditional panthers, go buy that shirt at townies. They have them there now and I think Holland's gonna do it where he can like ship them and stuff too, but I don't even know how much they are.
Michael: 53:19
So that's not. I'm not really doing good with the shout out fundraiser, so it's all right. You know, people are willing to help and yeah, and I think he's gonna work yeah. So, yeah, and looking at, uh, the art on instagram, and You've got a lot of Florida themed art which I really, really love. That's such a perfect thing. It makes me think of Freehand, as well, yes. So have you ever thought about doing any collaborations with freehand or anything like that?
Heather: 53:46
I mean, I have thought about it, but um, I will be honest because I'm newer to the area like because I'm not new to Florida and again, I Was up here all the time doing guest spots. Um, but like meeting people sometimes I'm really bad at because I'm working all the time right, Right and unless they come into my shop. Yeah, how am I supposed to meet you? Um, except for lineage, I think for sure know me now because, like they see me coming with that super serious face that I need coffee. Um, so you know, I've. I don't know how to. I do know how to meet people. You say hello and you start talking, but the timing of it you want to make sure they have the time right, you don't want to bother anybody, yeah and at this point I'm like I don't know who's working and who the person is and how to get a hold of people. Yeah but yeah, dude, I love Freehand and like the stuff there. I've bought so much other stuff. Like right, when you walk in my shop, the one that's uh, what is it? Don't mess with texas, but don't fuck with florida. That's like. That's the sign I have. That's like right, when you walk in the door at my shop. So I love their stuff and, um, really amazing ideas like all the like, the leatherwork stuff is super cool. Um, for my little brother, I've bought him a lot of those things like this. Just the key hook thing is really cool, the little leather strap one, I love it.
Michael: 55:04
Yeah, yeah, um, because they were doing a lot of grooming products for a while there too, and they still have some of that stuff.
Heather: 55:10
Yeah and like their candles smell amazing. I mean just their marketing, holy shit. Yeah, they got their stuff together you know, yeah, yeah, they got it down and I love Florida-themed stuff because, like I meet so many people, especially young people, they're like I hate Florida and everyone always complains Florida is beautiful. Okay, I'm not gonna get on the political thing If you don't love the politics. Yes, I understand that. I don't really know too many people who are in love with it.
Michael: 55:34
No right, and it's got to swing the other way. Eventually, right it really, and we got it. We got to stick around and vote.
Heather: 55:40
Right, you know, and we can make it better because there's so many amazing people here.
Michael: 55:45
You know we have some really great like local politicians that are making a difference, so um so.
Heather: 55:51
I, but I. I love florida, I'm in love with the nature of it because, like down south, I'm from from naples.
Michael: 55:58
So like I love naples.
Heather: 55:59
Yeah, it's about down south, as you can be before. You're like in the Everglades, right? So I'm in love with the Everglades. That itself is an amazing ecosystem. There's nothing like it, right.
Michael: 56:09
Nothing. So it's giving me goosebumps. I'm not even kidding.
Heather: 56:12
It's like, it's beautiful, like I just I can't even express how much I love Florida, so like we have all different types of nature. No, yes, it's hot, but like, go swimming, go to a spring Like we have like jenny, we have like the kiva, yeah like rainbow springs. We have all these beautiful things. I'm like we have caves in Florida, we have the beaches, we have swamps. I mean we have all this cool stuff. How about you stop complaining about how shitty Florida is and actually go experience it, because then you'll see how beautiful it is, right, I? Know the animals we have. We have dinosaurs walking around. How cool is that? Like? I think it's amazing. Obviously they're not running people down and killing a ton of people you know,
Michael: 56:56
Go to Gatorland. Yeah, see how cool it is. I mean, we love Playalinda, Canaveral National Seashore in Titusville, and it's so remote and it's so like they haven't built anything there. It's nature, it's the best.
Heather: 57:14
Yeah, yeah, it's just beautiful and I love. I love palm trees and. I love the fortifying trees. I, I, just I love all of it. So I'm really big on Florida stuff. Actually, a lot of the tattoos I collect, like the butterfly on my neck is only found in Florida. I'm supposed to get a giant alligator down my side. Brock, I promise one day I'm gonna do it. It's just every time I schedule an appointment with you, my life falls apart. Like the air conditioning breaks and you know, it's just every single hurricane. Yeah, it's just I can't get it you know, and then on the other side it doesn't really look like it because a lot of people think it's like a pigeon. But it is not a pigeon, it's a grackle, which is like you know when you go to any parking lot, those little black birds are, like walking around, very familiar.
Michael: 57:55
Yeah, that's a grackle.
Heather: 57:57
And so.
Michael: 57:57
I'm just like they're crows sometimes. Yes, you know.
Heather: 58:00
So I have that little idiot on the other side of my neck. I just love Florida stuff. So, um, and that's one thing I like about Freehand is like they have all this cool Florida stuff and they're really pro Florida because, again, it's beautiful. Yeah beautiful animals, I mean the Florida panther. Don't get me started. Yeah, you know incredible what an amazing animal. I can't watch that documentary. I think there's like one on Netflix or something, or Disney plus. It's just all about the Florida panther. So sad. Yes, I can't watch it, though. I watched like two seconds and I was already bawling my eyes out, so I'm not gonna watch that.
Michael: 58:34
That's that, that empathy, right there right.
Heather: 58:36
I had my co-worker give me the cliff notes. Shout out to hema telling me how that went, because hema was like, yeah, maybe don't watch it. I'm gonna tell you what it's all about, though. Yeah.
Michael: 58:46
Yeah, and I just I love hearing that love for Florida too, because I think it's so important to be here and embrace it, and like it doesn't mean that we are not realistic about the politics and the things that are. We know it's pretty ugly and awful, yeah, and, like the people that support that, probably don't love Florida for what it is.
Heather: 59:08
You know, they're trying to change it into something else, and I feel like it's a lot of people who Move from other places right, I know that wanted to be like the place they're from.
Michael: 59:18
Yeah, and that's kind of a bummer. Because they're really trying to make it their own. They're like oh, we can just take this over or whatever. We can't let them do that.
Heather: 59:26
No, and I'm not against people moving here, as long as, like, you Love it too and you see the beauty in it and you do respect what it is you know like even like Definitely not knocking the neighborhood, but I love all these mid-century homes over here. They're just phenomenal. Oh, it's my favorite, yeah, and so many of them are getting knocked down to be and again, for that's their property right. Yeah, they can build whatever house to make their own home.
Michael: 59:50
But also you can expand and or even if, if you are going to rebuild, you can rebuild to make it look like it fits in.
Heather: 59:59
Yeah, but it's like but that's even more weird too. Sometimes I'm kind of like a hypocrite. I'm like I made my body super crazy looking, you know, and some people would be like, why would you ever tattoo yourself? You know. So everyone's allowed to have their individuality. It's just sometimes you're just like oh man, that's a very manufactured home and it's kind of not Fitting the vibe of everything else. And you could like the mid-century stuff is so cool, Like the architecture and all the shapes, and I don't know they could kind of have fun with that. Yeah you know, yeah because there's a house like on the corner, kind of around the neighborhood from here. Uh-huh that you could tell it's like modern and new, but it's beautiful.
Michael: 1:00:36
Yes, yeah, you know.
Heather: 1:00:38
And they kept with the aesthetics of the neighborhood and they expanded and they just built it bigger. Yeah with the same look, and it looks really neat because it keeps totally possible. Yeah, it is.
Michael: 1:00:47
That's what we should be doing. I mean, it's part of the character, it's part of what draws people to this neighborhood.
Heather: 1:00:53
Yeah.
Michael: 1:00:53
It's like, yes, we've got really great schools. The walkability is excellent to lots of great shops and restaurants and just social spaces. You know, Like that's really what it's about for us, like we're very social people and we don't have to leave the neighborhood a lot of times because we're just like our friends are all congregate to this spot Right, we know the people that work there and it's just a great place to be.
Heather: 1:01:19
Right, well, you know one thing I was thinking about doing by not knowing anyone. So at East End they have like that upstairs, little entertainment room that you can rent.
Michael: 1:01:31
Yeah, the Audubon Room.
Heather: 1:01:33
You know, I had this like yeah. So I was kind of thinking like it'd be cool to get like a lot of like the business owners together to meet each other. But that's kind of like what Brent's doing right now, just like that block party Oktoberfest. He was trying to get all like the local people it's just my situation kind of fell through with all the stuff we have going on.
Michael: 1:01:48
Yeah, but it's just Definitely going to be more of that. There was one business meetup that was organized. I think it was held last month, but it definitely like word needs to get out.
Heather: 1:02:01
I'll make sure that you get on distribution Right. So I just know what's happening because, like sometimes I'm not going to lie there's been times that I'm like, oh, there's a market, how do people know about these things? Who am I, what am I supposed to be following? So I know what's happening and like you know I come to work one day and there's a block off of like the. So like it was a temporary bicycle lane.
Michael: 1:02:22
Yeah, they do it every year before school. It's a citywide thing and I had no idea. So I'm like, what is this I have?
Heather: 1:02:30
no idea what this is. Yeah, you know and I know it's not their responsibility to like go to door to door and like knock on. And who has the time for that either? Yeah. I just don't know how to know when things are happening, and I'm just a scatterbrained person already. So you know, and I'm pretty sure even if it was a mailing list, I'd probably mess that up too. No, I wouldn't, because I have a shop help now. Her name's Miranda. She's in charge of checking the email, so maybe I'll actually know what's going on.
Michael: 1:02:53
Perfect, yeah, I mean, the Main Street organization for Audemars Park is kind of the number one source because we are connected to the city as an organization like co-funded by the city and all the information that flows down from the city goes to you yeah. So there's newsletters to just people that sign up and then there's newsletters that go out to businesses, right.
Heather: 1:03:18
So, specifically, I'm going to sign up for all of these things, so at some point I need that information If you go to helloapgd.com.
Michael: 1:03:24
that's where you can sign up for the newsletter and find that Perfect. Yeah, I'm glad we're having this talk.
Heather: 1:03:29
Yeah, so everyone can get plugged in, because I also don't know, and I'm sure other people don't know, so let's all get on that website so we can all know what's happening.
Michael: 1:03:37
Yeah, yeah, instagram, of course, as well, signing up on those places. But yeah, newsletters are important.
Heather: 1:03:45
I feel like and also those little fun like history facts that you guys have on the Instagram. Yeah, I thought that was so fun, like Sushi Lola, and that used to be a Krispy Cream.
Michael: 1:03:54
Yes, that's so cool and that awesome.
Heather: 1:03:56
I had no idea I know and I love like fun facts and things like that. So more history things like that I think is really cool, yeah, and stuff like that.
Michael: 1:04:03
Yeah, I mean, this neighborhood has some great history. It's lots of stories and that's partly why I do this podcast, because I want to promote people and I want to capture those stories. And it's just, it's a rare thing to be able to celebrate your very local community.
Heather: 1:04:23
Right.
Michael: 1:04:25
And that's how this is sustainable. Right Is that we spread the word and we keep people. You know, keep that door open Like it's for everybody and you definitely see that at events, it's just like everybody. Everybody comes to the market.
Heather: 1:04:40
Yeah, you know, everybody comes to the events and I have friends from like from Titusville that come over and do. I think it's like the Milk Market, but they like hit up all the different markets that are happening.
Michael: 1:04:50
And like they sell their like fun, like art stuff and there's Mellow Market that's in, and then there's Grandma Party that's once a year at Stardust yeah, there's so many cool things.
Heather: 1:04:59
And I think it's really cool because, like the bummer is where I'm from, they don't really have a lot of local stuff like that. They have a craft fair and it's the same people and I mean “craft fair.”
Michael: 1:05:11
Yeah.
Heather: 1:05:11
So it's geared towards 40s and up.
Michael: 1:05:16
Right, and it's a specific aesthetic. Yes, yeah.
Heather: 1:05:19
Which is beaches, seashells, palm trees and manatees and like so every booth you go to is a painting of one of those or herons. So many herons.
Michael: 1:05:30
There's no shortage of that stuff, right yeah.
Heather: 1:05:33
But almost every single one of them is like Life's a Beach. And then it's like a you know the beach chair looking at them and like so when I go to it. I'm trying to be supportive of local, but I'm like they're all doing the same thing, but people go down to Cape Coral and that area to retire.
Michael: 1:05:50
Yeah, and that's the life that they want yes, they want Life's a.
Heather: 1:05:53
Beach, yes, yeah. You know, and so it's nice too, because like it's younger here and more like progressive and like it's like an art town, which I think is really cool.
Michael: 1:06:06
Yeah, it really is. Yeah, there's so much creative spirit here and so, yeah, so much talent, so like it's a great place it is yeah.
Heather: 1:06:17
It super is, and I'm glad to be a part of it now. Yeah. I wish I started sooner, but you know, 2020 again. I needed that security. To blame it on a pandemic. I needed the security.
Michael: 1:06:28
The stars align. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Heather: 1:06:30
It just worked out in that way, so that's super awesome.
Michael: 1:06:34
Cool. Well, it's so great to have you in the neighborhood. Thank you for all that you bring and I look forward to all of those connections that you'll make and just the growth of the business and just getting the word out. Yeah.
Heather: 1:06:47
And I appreciate you having me on here and helping me tell people that we exist. Yeah. You know and then honestly, all the work that you do for the community so people know what's going on. Yeah, you know I might not be the best at knowing what's going on, but I know other people do and like again on Instagram because, like tattooers, we have a tendency of using Instagram more than anything else, because that is our online portfolio.
Michael: 1:07:10
Yeah.
Heather: 1:07:11
So I have to stay active on that because, like, that is how people see my work and that because, like, websites don't really work for our business that much anymore. It used to back in the day, but now it's all based on pictures.
Michael: 1:07:24
Nobody goes to websites.
Heather: 1:07:25
Yeah, exactly, I will go to a website. Yeah, so I'm just, I'm, personally, I'm just way better at like being on Instagram.
Michael: 1:07:33
I know.
Heather: 1:07:33
TikTok's the other one too. It's just I'm getting, I'm trying to figure out how to do TikTok. Yeah. You know what, too, I hired kids. So, Shane, when you rocked in, and Jeremy, I hired all these young people and I'm like maybe they'll do the TikToks. No, I hired the two young people that don't want to do TikTok and don't even have TikToks, you know.
Michael: 1:07:51
Yeah, so damn it.
Heather: 1:07:54
That was. That was my way to get somebody else to do it.
Michael: 1:07:57
I don't, I don't use it. I I mean, maybe it's not for everybody too. I don't think it is yeah. I don't think it is yeah.
Heather: 1:08:02
And like I'm just not a photo, Like it's already hard being a full-time tattooer, which is a full-time job. Like as I work from a lot of times, 12 to eight or longer. Mm-hmm. And so I work all day. Yeah. And then I have to go home, take care of, you know, you met Bucky. Take care of my pets and do like a chore around the house real quick.
Michael: 1:08:21
Right yeah.
Heather: 1:08:22
Then I have to draw for the rest of the night for my appointments the next day. Wow, and then I have to go on the internet, make my post and go back and forth with clients, right? So my-.
Michael: 1:08:33
Do you have time for anything else? No, because it's like it's a social media thing too.
Heather: 1:08:36
So you, you can't. That's a full-time job. Yeah. And then I have to do it for my own personal Instagram and for the shop one. Mm-hmm. And it's just. It's hard to balance all of it all the time because they're all full-time jobs. Yeah. And I'm pretty bad at asking for help sometimes because I think I can manage all of it, yeah, but sometimes it's just, it's really overwhelming and it's hard to keep up. So by the time I see something, it's like 4 am, I'm finished, I'm gonna draw, and I'm like, oh, there's a thing tomorrow. That's cool. I didn't know about it, you know, because, like, I just happened to see it online because I'm trying to post stuff and be good at that. I'm just not.
Michael: 1:09:13
It's. It's a work. We can't be good at everything. No, you can't. It's. Everything's a work in progress, yeah.
Heather: 1:09:17
Well, the important thing is, I'm doing good tattoos. That is the priority.
Michael: 1:09:19
Yes, absolutely.
Heather: 1:09:22
Yeah, that's the important part, but again, thank you so much for everything that you do for the community. Thanks for having me on here to help my business and the community Definitely. And I'm excited to be a part of it.
Michael: 1:09:33
Yeah, I'm excited to. And what are the Instagrams that people go to? You said you have your personal and the business one.
Heather: 1:09:40
Yeah, so the business one is Lucky Horse Tattoo. Trying to make it as easy as possible for people to remember Lucky Horse Tattoo. Yeah, and then my name is Heather Law and you start typing in Heather Law and if you start typing in T, so it's Heather Law Tattoo. But I normally pop up first. Okay. And that's like my personal one, where you see only my work. But my work is on the Lucky Horse Instagram too, and my coworkers are amazing, which is again Jeremy, Roxanne, Ryan and John, and they are always pumping out amazing tattoos also, and it's a Saturday, so we're hoping to have a busy Saturday. Hopefully we will get some walking traffic and people checking us out.
Michael: 1:10:21
That's amazing. Well, Heather, thank you again and we'll see you very soon.
Heather: 1:10:25
Okay, perfect Thanks.
Outro: 1:10:30
Hello APGD, a neighborhood podcast, is brought to you in part by Stardust Video and Coffee, Audubon Park's beloved neighborhood cafe, bakery, bar and meeting place, located at 1842 East Winter Park Road. Our theme song is by Christopher Pierce, and special thanks to Tre Hester for all his help in making this podcast a reality. This episode is brought to you in part by the Audubon Park Community Market. Join us every Monday from 5 to 8 pm, rain or shine, in the parking lot of Stardust Video and Coffee. This weekly gathering of makers, farmers, gardeners, fishmongers, ranchers, craftsmen, artisans, entrepreneurs, neighbors, and friends brings the very best of Central Florida to you every week. We do hope you enjoyed this episode. If so, please click subscribe and leave a review, if you'd like. We'll see you next time.
