Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey Henry.
Jeffrey, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve been tattooing since 2009. From a young age I loved to draw and do other mediums of art. As I got older I started to feel a pull toward tattooing and after working a few jobs in my adult life, I finally made the decision to apprentice to become a tattoo artist. I lived in Myrtle Beach, SC at that time and apprenticed for about 1 1/2 years, falling in love with tattooing. I became a full time tattoo artist in October of 2010. I moved back to my hometown of Daytona Beach, FL in November 2011, where I joined a tattoo shop in town. For a few years I had worked out of 2 different shops. While working at the latter shop, I started to feel the urge to open my own studio. In the Daytona Beach area, zoning regulations on tattooing were very strict. It made it nearly impossible to open my own shop for tattooing anywhere. I searched out places to open up for over a year when I decided to fight against zoning regulations. In Daytona Beach, opening a tattoo shop was nearly illegal. It was written in code that tattooing couldn’t be opened anywhere within city limits, with the exception of a certain industrial zone in the middle of nowhere. Not ideal for any service industry business at all. I started to do research on how to do away with such laws of restriction. After a years worth of research, speaking to numerous city employees, state employees, and attorneys, the city of Daytona Beach granted me a hearing to start the legalization process. After a few months and 4 different hearings, May of 2017, tattooing became legal within the city limits and I opened the first licensed tattoo shop in Daytona Beach in June of 2017. The Nines Parlor Tattoo Ministry. The Nines comes from an old English saying “to the nines” which means, perfection. If you are wondering about the ministry part, a few years ago, I gave my life to follow Christ and with that, aligning my business with the kingdom of heaven. I am a Christian tattoo artist and only tattoo according to what aligns with my faith. I’m a very versatile artist, specializing in black and gray realism, illustrative, and cover-ups. We offer discounts to cover any demonic, satanic, witchcraft, or anything portraying support to other gods.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
With any service based industry, there are definitely hard times to be had. Especially as an artist. The term starving artist was in my vocabulary for a good portion of my career. Building a reputation is not an easy task in an overpopulated industry like tattooing. Alongside striving for work, the long hours and dedication of improvement seem to be all I did. Eat, sleep and tattoo was my life for many years. But how much of a blessing it is to work hard and it pay off eventually to enjoy the beauty of what I do now!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As I mentioned previously, I am a versatile tattoo artist. I do many different styles, but mainly specialize in black and gray realism, illustrative and cover-ups. I am a Christian tattoo artist, aligning my career with my faith, so The Nines Parlor is a tattoo ministry. We tattoo according to our beliefs. Offering a discounted rate for covering any demonic, satanic, witchcraft, or anything supporting other gods.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
There was a time I believed success was measured by the amount of money you made. But as I’ve grown in wisdom, success has new meanings. Peace of mind and a joy of life is the true meaning. That’s not only career based, but a generalization on life itself. This means, everything I surround myself with becomes part of that success, and what a blessing it is to have the freedoms from all anxieties and burdens that held me down for so long!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Theninesparlor.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_nines_parlor?igsh=OWl6aGRudDZhaXZh&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BfK3mEjZM/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mr.henry_9s?_r=1&_t=ZP-91Y5KUte7fb
