We got some sad news at the shop this week.  Our friend, Joe "Polack" Timinsky passed away. Joe started coming into the shop back when we first opened around 1998.  Another friend of ours had brought Joe in to get tattooed. He was helping Joe turn his life around. Joe had a bunch of old work from Tony Polito that we re-worked for him and pretty soon Joe was coming in at least a few times a week to get tattooed. He ended up getting a full body suit of work done in the shop. Joe had (I think) 165 1/2 squirrels tattooed on him. Yes, Squirrels. It all started as a joke between him and Scott Bruns. Joe would come in for a skull or pin-up or something and Scott would always say, "Why don't you get a nice squirrel?" And they would laugh. Until Joe shocked us all one day by saying he was ready, he wanted a big squirrel....on his NECK. We were stunned. The two of them were laughing so hard at the absurdity of a squirrel tattoo and Scott drew such funny squirrels that Joe came back for yet another squirrel. Then another, and another....until he had an entire backpiece of Squirrels of the Apocalypse. For real. There was a heaven and hell filled with squirrels.

Joe became a regular fixture and started helping out how ever he could. This was back when we had to make our own needles and scrub our own tubes so any one looking to voluteer for that kind of work was welcome to hang out. Joe was not exactly artistically gifted so he wasn't the type of person we would normally offer an apprenticeship to. But he stuck around, helping out however we needed, no complaining and happy and grateful to have a new "home" off the streets. We liked Joe, he was friendly, had a big heart and we were happy to see him on the straight and narrow and happy that we had helped him get to a better place. At some point he picked up a tattoo machine and we offered him guidance. It was the least we could do for our friend who had put in so much time doing our dirty work at the shop for us. Eventually Joe found a job at Andromeda on St. Marks. We couldn't believe it! He made it he was a real deal tattooer. Joe saved his money, kept putting it away and at some point Andromeda was for sale and Joe bought the shop! He married a sweet Polish girl and was on top of the world. Sadly the story changed, he hadn't been doing as well of late and our friend passed away this week.  I'm glad we had the time with him that we did. I'm glad that Joe found so many friends among us. Many people don't last long enough. We're sad to see him gone.

There's a service for Joe today, Wednesday the 29th at the Hugh A. Reid funeral parlour. 153 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn. 2:00-5:00 pm and 7:00-9:00pm

In the picture is C-Jay, Joe, James O'brien, and Scott Bruns at the NYC Tattoo Convention. Not sure what year probably 1999 or so.