No Coast Tattoo

Authors note

I have always been fascinated by tattoos and the culture surrounding the different art styles. As a second year college student with a few tattoos myself, I wanted to learn more about the local shops in town and the artists that inhabit them. I have learned that fostering a relationship with your artist and understanding the styles they can adapt to fit your vision is important. I wanted to share my interactions with the local artists and shop owners in hopes of fostering connections and sharing knowledge to others fascinated by the industry, like me. 

No Coast Tattoo

No Coast Tattoo has been open since 2013, owner Noah Kilsdonk started tattooing after getting injured in a previous job in construction. Kilsdonk attended art school and than began his tattooing career. 

“We wanted an open floor concept,” Kilsdonk said. “That east coast/west coast style, a shop where you can do walk-ins and feel welcome.”

The shop has four artists, Noah, Tim, Christina and Josh. They all do a variety of styles from black and gray realism, color realism, Japanese, floral and American traditional. 

“We wanted to be able to do anything from small pieces, flash pieces, to large scale custom pieces and do it in our style,” Kilsdonk said.

The shop’s look is very classic to a tattoo shop that one would imagine, featuring flash and artwork lining every wall. Kilsdonk said they wanted an open floor plan like the shops seen on the coasts.

Each artist has an area covered in art showcasing individual styles and interests. Kilsdonk specializes in American and Japanese traditional, but is well versed in all styles and things like cover ups. Kilsdonk said Tribal was his first interest and is the original source of tattooing.

“When I started tattooing, ironically American traditional tattoos were not popular,” Kilsdonk said. “I like history, and I like knowing where everything came from.”

Like clothing, trends in tattooing change. Kilsdonk said American traditional is becoming increasingly popular and has a few predictions of where the trends are headed.

“Trends change,” Kilsdonk said. “Definitely large scale pieces are becoming more popular and the pandemic had an effect on that.”

Kilsdonk stressed the importance of advocating for your vision and knowing what you want as well as trusting the artist to provide that for you.

“Know what you want,” Kilsdonk said. “You have to be comfortable with your artist.”

Kilsdonk pointed out the importance of having an understanding of the style you want to go with and how artists will be able to work with you to achieve that. 

“Do your research and find an artist that has the style you want to go with,” Kilsdonk said. “We are not photocopy machines, we are not going to draw a tattoo that is identical to something you brought in, because one, out of respect for other artists’ tattoos, and two, we just draw differently than that person.”

In an area where tattoos are becoming more acceptable Kilsdonk says there is no longer the same judgment as there was before but that doing your research and being sure in your tattoo and placement is important. Kilsdonk said he has tattooed lawyers, doctors, teachers, professors, nurses and many more in what would be considered white collar jobs. 

No Coast started from walk-ins according to Kilsdonk and they continue to foster that welcoming environment. All of Kilsdonks personal travel tattoos have been walk-ins which have fostered his love for the walk-in culture. 

“Travel and get some tattoo work, the stories I have from getting tattoos from other people in other states are some of my favorite tattoo stories, you learn a lot about the different subcultures in the area,” Kilsdonks said. 

No Coast is welcoming to walk-in clients as well as appointments and can be contacted through their Instagram, email, phone or in-person. The shop manager asked Kilsdonk to share a story about the narwhal as well during his interview but decided to save that for people who come in and ask. 

“When you come into the shop you can ask the story about the narwhal,” Kilsdonk said.

No Coast is a well run tattoo shop that specializes in a wide range of styles. They work to foster a welcoming environment and are very open to sharing their knowledge and helping clients achieve the visions they have for their pieces.