New tattoo parlor brings edge, color to downtown Milledgeville

On Nov. 13, downtown Milledgeville welcomed its newest business, Royal Blood Tattoo and Art Gallery. Owner Charley Riddle has settled into his new shop on South Wilkinson St. by establishing his clientele and watching his business grow.

Riddle relocated from Miami, Fla. and knew that Milledgeville was where he wanted to open his own shop.

“I grew up in Eatonton and have been traveling the country,” he said.  “But there’s no place like home, so I’m back and ready.”

Vanessa Whited | gcsunade.com

Above: Owner Charley Riddle in his business, Royal Blood Tattoo and Art Gallery located on South Wilkinson St. The space serves as a tattoo parlor as well as an art gallery. Riddle’s motivation in starting the shop was to create an environment where art could be displayed as tattoos as well as on the walls. Right: Letters outside the Royal Blood Tattoo and Art Gallery shop.

“We saw downtown and we were like, ‘Yeah, this is it.’” Arnold said.

They knew downtown Milledgeville was where they wanted to be and wouldn’t settle for anything different.

After viewing property after property, their current space was vacated and the duo instantly snatched it up.

“It was just perfect,” Riddle said. “And on top of that, I had read an article in ‘Ville magazine about how Mayor Richard Bentley really wants to focus on bringing the arts to downtown Milledgeville, and I just thought, ‘It doesn’t get any better than that.’”

Riddle is a true artist, and art has been his passion since a very young age.

“I got my first tattoo when I was 11 years old,” he said. “I showed my mom and all she could say was ‘Ugh, and it begins.’”

Now the owner of his own shop, Riddle channels his creativity and passion for art into the 100 percent original tattoos he gives his clients.

“We’re not a street shop,” Riddle said. “Meaning that we aren’t here to just pump out tattoo after tattoo. Anything produced in the shop is original. It’s not like you’re not going go to the beach and see 50 people with the same tattoo.”

Riddle says that this originality defines his shop, and that first-time clients soon become regulars.

Riddle’s talents have not gone unnoticed. He is currently one of 20 finalists for a new series on the Oxygen network entitled “Best Ink.” One-thousand, five hundred tattoo artists auditioned in the Atlanta area alone, and of them, Riddle was the only one picked to move further in the competition. Now he is one of the 20 competitors waiting to hear if they are one of the top 12 finalists who will ultimately compete on the show in Los Angeles, Ca.

Riddle’s shop is not limited to tattoos. The shop offers piercings as well as artwork both for sale and for viewing pleasure. Artwork from Riddle, as well as from other local artists, is currently displayed along the walls of the shop. Riddle is in the midst of preparing a full art gallery that he hopes to open within the next two months, when he will also host the official grand opening of Royal Blood.

Posted by Vanessa Whited on Feb 17 2011. Filed under Features, Lead stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.