SOUTH DUNDAS – The Morrisburg Plaza has its first ever tattoo shop, Aubrey Jeanne’s Tattoo Co., thanks to the return of Tom Barkley, who was born and raised here in South Dundas.
Barkley returned home to the family farm with fiancee Lex Smith because they decided Morrisburg is where they want to be.
“I tattooed in GTA for quite a while,” said Barkley, who was a partner in a tattoo shop in downtown Toronto.
“We came down here for Tubies a couple of years ago and Lex really fell in love with Morrisburg,” said Barkley.
Rather than tattoo in Ottawa, Barkley said he really wanted to have his own space and be in control of his own business. He considered setting up shop in Kemptville or Brockville but Lex suggested setting up shop right here in Morrisburg.
“People really will travel to have me tattoo them,” said Barkley, which is why the shop (which opened just a few months ago, in the Morrisburg Plaza behind Luma Salon and Sanctuary, across from Bo’s Barber Shop) is such a busy place.
He’s already had people come here for his work from Toronto, New Hampshire, Iqualuit and Calgary. “They like my work,” he said.
Living on the family farm in Morrisburg and working here in the plaza allows Tom and Lex to enjoy a good work-life balance.
The two significantly renovated the space which now has a cool, calm, comfortable vibe.
“It looks very different now from when we got the place,” said Barkley. “We’ve made it a nice spot. Lex did a ton of work on it while I was tattooing, and I thank her for that.”
The name Aubrey Jeanne’s is an homage to both Tom and Lex’s biggest supporters. Aubrey is for Lex’s dad and Jeanne is for Tom’s mom.
Since opening the doors in October, business has been great, so great that Lex, who is a hairstylist in Brockville, has reduced her hours there to spend more time at Aubrey Jeanne’s.
Barkley initially found his way to tattooing after working as an arborist. “I just wasn’t really happy with my life then,” he said, so he started to look for a tattoo artist willing to take on an apprentice.
While he came to the craft with a strong art background, he said he really learned lots as an apprentice and credits those who provided guidance along with way with helping him become better at the craft of tattooing.
Barkley describes his work, which is mostly black and grey, as mostly large scale realism.
The shop is bringing in a great mix of people, both people from Tom’s past and a lot of people he’s never met before who have found his work on Instagram.
“We’re not like a standard kind of tattoo show with flash all over the walls, we’re more of a studio show where people can get custom work. We’re offering high quality tattoos closer to home. It’s been nice to provide that.”
“I’m really grateful for the kind of support we’ve been getting from the community, and how interested people are,” he added.
Since they opened their doors in October Tom has been averaging about three tattoos a day, and is fully booked more than a month in advance. He does everything from the smallest tattoos for which the process could take less than an hour to full sleeves to full backs. The cost of a tattoo is anything from $120 upwards depending on the design, detail and size, which some requiring multiple sessions.
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