DC Tattoo Expo 2016
This past weekend we were at our first show of the year down in DC at the DC Tattoo Convention. Both of us wound up with terrible colds, throwing us off our game a little, but like they say, "the show must go on"! The show did, in fact, go on. We struggled through setting up and a typical slower Friday, and managed to smile through feeling like hell to spread the word about our brand.
After a sleepless night (one can't sleep if one can't breathe) Saturday I was at my worst, While downing Musinex, vitamins and orange juice so we could actually speak to customers and breathe, we again managed to talk to people and inspire them about our brand and our mission. We met several people who were return customers with stories of how simply wearing our shirt or hat changed their lives, their day and their outlook.
Most of the people who were return customers were actually wearing last years or even older apparel of ours and were excited to get some new gear! We had the opportunity to speak with a lot of people who never heard of us before, but were instantly inspired and most had stories to share with us about a tragedy they went through or are going through. I met a woman, who was at the convention to get a tattoo to remember her sister by, her sister that took her own life. She was inspired by our words and bought some gear and immediately put it on! You could see the transformation in her face after she was wearing it. It was almost like a proud moment.
While a tattoo is a great reminder for a loved one who has passed on, but like most tattoos, you forget you even have them, they become part of you, you don't see them anymore and in some circumstances can't always show them off to the World, whether it be work related or placement. Our clothing on the other hand, we hope acts as that reminder on a bad day. Put that shirt or hat on, remember, relive, move on and conquer the day. And when someone stops and asks you about it, tell them our WHY, tell them YOUR why!
After finally sleeping properly and feeling more like a human, Sunday proved to be yet another great day, filled with inspiration and laughter. My husband sat for a few more hours with his tattoo artist working on his sleeve he started a year ago at this exact event (it's almost done, almost) and I did my best to handle the crowds and talk to everyone who wanted to hear what we were about. All in all, after a few months off from the circuit of shows, it turned out to be a good start to the year. Seeing old faces, extended family of friends and sharing our brand and story with others confirms to us, WHY we do what we do and why we will continue to do what we do.
