Mavericks Tattoo, in Diss, celebrates moving into larger premises

Just two years since opening a tattoo parlour in St Nicholas Street, Mavericks Tattoo is expanding to a larger premises.

Lia and Gordon Tunbridge-Shepherd arrived in Diss back in July 2019 and, in little more than two years, their family-run business has built up a client base that stretches all the way from Norwich down to Woodbridge.

Having previously operated out of a smaller premises in Cobbs Yard, this autumn, the Tunbridge-Shepherds were handed the keys to 6 St Nicholas Street – the former premises of independent fashion retailer Christine Hinchliffe.

Mrs Tunbridge-Shepherd explained how the decision to upsize was prompted by an effort to make their parlour more Covid secure, alongside an ambition to expand what they currently offer, with the idea of sunbeds and cosmetic treatments being considered.

“With the pandemic going on, we needed a bigger premises to keep everything within the safety limits,” said Mrs Tunbridge-Shepherd, who moved to East Anglia from Slovakia in 2012.

“On top of that, things have gone great since we set up – we have had clients from not only in Diss, but people have been from areas like Norwich.

“So now we have a lot more space. We have got a larger sofa and a waiting area, and the boys have a private area for the clients.”

Their growing client base has been helped in no small part by the couple’s 16-year-old son, Billy – one of the youngest fully licensed tattoo artists in Britain, whose works have earned him almost 2,000 followers on Instagram.

“He’s so talented, a lot further on than we predicted he would be at this age,” said Mrs Tunbridge-Shepherd.

“He’s built himself up a huge clientèle – we don’t have to offer him out, people have seen what he has done online and they are coming in and asking for him.”

To find out more, go to Facebook or Instagram and search for ‘Mavericks Tattoo Parlour’. To see some of Billy’s work, search for ‘Billy.t.shepherd’ on Instagram.