VALDOSTA —

VALDOSTA — The only way to describe The Brass Quill Gallery to someone who hasn’t witnessed the majesty of its interior is this: If Alice in Wonderland could be interpreted into a modern-day building decorated by the Mad Hatter — that’s The Brass Quill Gallery. It is arguably the most creative decorating scheme in Valdosta. It is because of the business’ unique style, that The Brass Quill Gallery is a metaphorical nest of creativity for those wanting to get inked.

“We want people to know that tattooing is an art form just like all other art forms,” said co-owner Bob Layne. “It’s something that we’re trying to promote here ... which is why we support other local artists by displaying their artwork here.”

Husband and wife duo Bob and Britni Layne opened up The Brass Quill Gallery on Nov. 14, 2011. It wasn’t always Bob’s dream to open a tattoo shop; however, the opportunity presented itself so he took it.

“I didn’t always want to open one up but I did always know that I wanted to be a business owner one day,” said Bob. “I just so happened to be in the tattooing field when the opportunity arose.”

Bob Layne has been tattooing for more than seven years. His tattoo career coincidentally began when he walked into a local tattoo shop to apply for a receptionist job. The shop just so happened to be hiring an artist and, after Layne submitted his portfolio, the job was his.

“I’ve been drawing for my whole life,” said Layne.

Prior to being hired, Bob had never tattooed before.

“I learned a little bit off of every artist I’ve worked with,” said Layne.

During this first tattoo job, Layne met the fellow artists whom now work with him at The Brass Quill. Ben Stubbs has been tattooing for more than three years. Jake Walsh has been tattooing for about two years. Will Frier, who was not an employee at the other shop but just Layne’s friend, has been piercing since November 2011. Compared to other tattoo artists in town, the team is relatively young in the game. However, Layne said, the years are just a number.

“Quality is definitely better than quantity,” said Layne. “Just because someone has been doing something for 20 years doesn’t mean they’re any good at it.”

Layne feels there are some people who are naturally talented artists who can just pick up a tool and be proficient with it and use it. Luckily for him, everyone on his team happens to be true, highly proficient, artists.

“They’re really remarkable artists,” said Britni. But don’t take their word for it, look at their portfolios which are up front and available.

There are a few other notable features of the shop and its employees which make The Brass Quill Gallery a remarkable place to get tattooed.

First off, The Brass Quill Gallery is not a lick-it and stick-it shop. There’s no “flash” — tattoo sheets that are displayed in tattoo shops as sort of ready-made tattoos.

“We try to make each individual piece exactly that so a bunch of people aren’t walking around with the same thing tattooed on them,” said Bob Layne. “We like to do custom stuff.”

Layne and his team of artists understand that some people may be intimidated by coming into a shop without an idea and not seeing anything to inspire them. He and his team work to make The Brass Quill Gallery an environment that is both comfortable and welcoming.

“We try to help them as much as possible,” Layne said. “We let them know as soon as they get here that we can draw up anything that they want.”

Layne has worked at a handful of tattoo shops in town. He wants to end the stigma attached to those who get inked and those who want to get inked.

“We’re trying to get rid of some of the stereotypes of tattoo shops,” Layne said. “A lot of them, you have to be tough or be a biker and a lot more people are getting tattoos now. We just want people to know that there are places that are different.”

The Brass Quill Gallery team aim to be game changers in the Valdosta tattoo scene. Instead of involving themselves with the “tattoo shop feud” and sticking to cliques, they focus their energy on making art and making the community a better place. Britni Layne said The Brass Quill Gallery is not just about sustaining their own business, it’s about bringing small, local businesses together and growing and sustaining businesses in Valdosta.

“We want to get all the local businesses together and help each other out,” said Britni.

The Brass Quill Gallery does a lot of cross-promoting with other local businesses, such as Red Door Records, CrossFit Gym, Divided by Zero, etc., into its grand-opening event. The event, aptly named The Grand Shenanigan, will take place at The Brass Quill Gallery, 2-6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11. The event will also benefit BARC Humane Society of Valdosta.

“They are a no-kill shelter and they don’t actually have a shelter yet so we are raising money so that they can build one,” said Britni. “We’ll be selling raffle tickets.”

There will be three different raffles to enter. You can purchase a $5 ticket to win a free piercing, a $10 ticket to win a $100 gift certificate towards a tattoo and a $20 grand prize ticket that will win you a full sleeve or back piece.

“Half of our proceeds are going to BARC,” said Britni.

There will also be local artists there with booths selling various pieces and works of art.

“We just want to focus on supporting each other and supporting the community and helping Valdosta grow,” said Bob.

The Laynes want to serve as examples of what hard work and determination can gain you. Once upon a time, The Brass Quill Gallery was just an idea and due to the generosity of their benefactor and Britni’s father, Jim Roeder, who purchased the building for them and six months of re-modeling, re-roofing, re-plumbing, their idea that became a dream finally became a successful reality.



The Brass Quill Gallery is located at 704 N. Ashley St. More information: Call (229)469-4517; or visit brassquill.com.