businessman. i started realizing there s a need out there that people want something different. they don t want a hard core tattoo studio where they walk in and [ muted ]ic s blowing their ears out and people don t want to talk to them. he left miami for new jersey in 1997. eventually opening up four shops. but knowing the often hard knocked life of a tattoo artist, he realized the only way to secure future for him and his employees was to create a strong business plan. a foreign concept to the industry. in a historically track amateured industry where artists are paid on commission, he offered stability with a steady paycheck, 401 k and health benefits. he has struck that difficult balance between business and art which not only helped his business strive, but kept his street kred in tact. what you re doing here is count tore the traditional lifestyle
people get a tattoo, it stays for the rest of their days. they re going to forget their wife s name and their future girlfriend s name, but not mine. enter mario bart, celebrated tattoo artist and a man on the mission to change your preconceptions about his industry. you ll hear anything from easy listening to hard rock at his tattoo shops. who do you atrial court to these stores? anybody and everybody. we attract the 18-year-old who watches pop videos all day and we attract an 81-year-old grandma who wants to have a tattoo for the grandchild. finally it s not the biker area anymore. but it s what he s doing as an entrepreneur that s setting him apart from his contemporaries. when was the point that you decided i don t want just want to be the guy that s a tattoo artist, i want to be a