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| Sweet_Ness 7 barista Julianna Turtone wears her art on her sleeve. |
Bengal News West Reporters
Located
on the corner of Lafayette Avenue and Grant Street, Sweet_Ness 7 Cafe’s vibrant
exterior welcomes everyone with painted swirls and stars of yellow and white,
giving a taste of what to expect while walking in for your fresh cup of joe.
The
first thing you might notice is the chatter of people mixed with the
intoxicating scent of freshly ground coffee beans filling the room. Hardwood
floors and a variety of old and new décor create a cozy, one-of-a-kind atmosphere.
While
choosing a drink from the extensive chalkboard-written menu, the vibrancy of
the interior extended to the arms of the barista who proudly displays two full
sleeves of tattoos.
Julianna Tutorne is one
of the Barista’s at the Sweet_Ness
7 Café.
“I’ve had tattoos for 12
years,” Tutorne said. “I’d say the popularity of tattoos and them becoming more
acceptable in the workplace has been more towards the past five years.”
Tutorne, on the popularity of tatoos:
Tutorne, on the popularity of tatoos:
According to a 2015
study in the International Journal of Innovative Research and Development, 86
percent of young professionals don’t believe that tattoos or piercings reduce
the likelihood of getting a job.
The divide in the
opinions of tattoos is generational.
Dr. Howard Stanger is
a professor in the Department of Management at Canisius College.
“Tattoos are one of the ways that younger people try to find themselves and project themselves outwards,” he said. “But those things can change over time.”
“Tattoos are one of the ways that younger people try to find themselves and project themselves outwards,” he said. “But those things can change over time.”
More than merely
having tattoos, the placement of them can have a significant impact.
“I don’t think it’s a
big deal if you have them covered up, nobody can see them,” Tutorne said. “I’ve
been denied jobs because of having my hands tattooed.”
Gary Grundtisch and
Dan Erickson, owners of Ink Assassins Tattoos on Grant Street, have over 20 years
of combined experience as professional tattoo artists in the Buffalo area. They
also agree that the location of the tattoo on the body is the most important
factor on how it will be regarded in a professional setting.
“If you walk into a
job interview with a tattoo on your face, they’re probably not going to hire
you,” Erickson said.
"If you're
20-years-old, and you get a tattoo on your face you don't know how many
interviews you're going to have to go through in the next 10, 20 years,"
Grundtisch said. "You're not thinking about that most times."
"Face tattoos, we
don't do them here," Erickson added. "It's not ethical to do."
According to the
National Association of Colleges and Employers, grooming practices were a
stronger influence on the evaluation of candidates than tattoos or piercings.
“For the most part,
it’s a non-issue,” said Dr. Stanger. “If I were to get a tattoo today, I
probably wouldn’t be as careful as I was when I was younger.”
As of 2016, there were
over 21,000 tattoo parlors in the U.S.
“The tattoo industry
is getting bigger all the time,” said Grundtisch. “More shops are popping up
and more people want to get into this field. I don’t see it slowing down
anytime soon.”
According to
Grundtisch and Erickson, Buffalo is a place that embraces the self-expression
that comes with tattoos.
“People are pretty
open here,” Grundtisch said.
“It’s the city of good
neighbors,” Erickson said. “We’ve gotten a lot of love here.”
