People who stopped by Oottat Tattoo for ink, or just for a look at the Wall of Tats, would often ask where the name came from.

The younger artists would make up their own stories. Andy would roll her eyes and say that they had it all wrong. It wasn’t Oottat Tattoo but rather Tattoo Oottat, named after its founder Iqualit Oottat in the original location of Nome, Alaska. Sure, the vagaries of fate had required it to be moved to the city of Davis, MS, but that was no excuse for changing the name. Shawnn would simply observe that the name existed to spark conversation, nothing more, and that it was doing its job well–though if you could please hold still and make a little less conversation when indelible lines were being etched into your skin, that would be great, thanks.

The owner, Howard Gaines, on the relatively rare occasions he was inking customers and not paperwork anymore, would tell the truth. When he’d first opened the shop in 1981, he hadn’t had money for a sign, so his brother John Jr. had made a “TATTOO” out of metal at his welding shop and painted it. Howard had hung it up, but not realizing that most of the traffic on Old College Blvd. was eastbound rather than westbound, John Jr.’s “TATTOO” read as “OOTTAT” to the vast majority of drivers. And, especially in the 80s, it was good for business. The metal sign was still out there, though the paint was in need of a refresh, but the name stuck. It helped that Howard hadn’t been able to decide on a name for his business after discovering that his first choice, “Love Ink,” was already taken by a calligraphy shop.

Cleverer customers would sometimes inquire if a backwards tattoo shop meant that the artist paid them. Andy would give them a penny from the penny jar, sarcastically, while Shawnn would offer a simple, flat “no.” Howard, if you could get him, would offer to pay the customer–but only on the condition that he got to choose the tattoo. One look at the exquisite flaming Rat Fink on his shoulder would usually be enough to end that conversation right quick.

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