Coral Springs has seen significant updating lately; the art museum is expanding, the community garden debuted a medicinal herb section, and the oldest tattoo shop just relaunched with new spooky fun vibes.
What used to be Timeless Craft Tattoo (originally called Whole Addiction) is now the Levi & Lili Tattoo Company – and while the look and feel may be new, the man at the helm certainly isn’t. In fact, he’s the artist responsible for the very first legal tattoo in Coral Springs.
A Historic Addiction
Back in ye olde 2001, Coral Springs was a city without any tattoo shops and officials who weren’t exactly sold on the idea of one. An extended effort from the prior business owner eventually allowed for the expansion of Whole Addiction from a piercing-only space to the city’s first fully legal tattoo and piercing studio. There to do the shop’s first tattoo in February 2003 was Michael Fisher, “Fish” to his friends.
Fish became something of a local icon over the next two decades working from that space. During that time he’s tattooed groups of friends, multiple generations of families, teens, the elderly, survivors, and more.
Because he’s been a familiar face for so long, plenty of people assumed he already owned either Whole Addiction or Timeless Craft. While he’s been a constant fixture for more than two decades, Fish hasn’t actually owned the shop until recent years.
“It Looked Like an Orthodontists Office”
A lover of horror films, music, and ugly Hawaiian shirts, it was important to put his personal touch on the Levi & Lili Tattoo Company’s space.
The first thing to go were the beige walls. Tattooing can feel like a medical procedure, between the gloves, sterile equipment, sharp implements, bright lights, etc. but it’s still an expression of creativity; something the old space didn’t reflect.
Beige is not the vibe at Levi & Lili’s Tattoo Shop
“I wanted to make the space mine. Before, it looked like an orthodontist office. I reinvented the studio in my image- a dark, spooky, fun image. Imagine Tim Burton directing The Addams Family in the Haunted Mansion.”
The walls are rebel-red and covered in art, memorabilia, and collectables. The shop decor feels like a festival of juxtaposition in the best way. Look closely and you’ll find demons and Donkey Kong, sailors and silly stickers, pop culture weapons like Thor’s hammer and a lightsaber side-by-side with a Ghostbusters trap, vintage ephemera like a gramophone and a cast iron typewriter, the historical and the hysterical (the upcycled Jack Daniels spray bottle is a fan favorite.)
The Levi & Lili Tattoo Company is a space that invites curiosity and storytelling, which feels like the perfect vibe for the couple behind the brand.
Levi & Lili
The shop isn’t the only thing with a new name. Now that he’s at the helm, Fish will work professionally as “Levi Ethan Morgenstern” with his wife (and muse) as his “Lili.” There’s a Tim Burton-esque portrait of the two among the shop’s art pieces that perfectly captures her riot of red curls.
Together, they’ve spent years collecting cool stories, adopting cooler friends, and cultivating the kind of connections that bring talent from around the world into their Coral Springs studio.
The Levi & Lili Artists
Levi leads the team with 29 years of experience tattooing and 34 years piercing. He prefers to focus on illustrative black & grey realism, bold color work, and a renowned ability to rework and cover-up old or unwanted tattoos. The studio’s latest addition is Tami Jo Urban with 32 years experience behind the tattoo machine and a love of realism as well as surrealism. The tattoo apprentice, Nicole, is great with detail and handles the studio’s permanent makeup services. Dakota is their piercer, bringing over a decade of experience and a reputation for staying ahead of industry standards. Echo is a flexible member of the staff, handing the henna and jagua temporary tattoos, as well as managing the front counter and learning to pierce under Dakota’s tutelage.
The shop is currently seeking one more tattoo artist to join the team.
Visit The Levi & Lili Tattoo Company at 8083 W Sample Road, Coral Springs, Florida 33065
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