Townie guide to... tatting, flipping and entrepreneur-ing

Monday, May 5, 2008

You guys will be opening up a real estate office/tattoo parlor at 19th and Massachusetts—that's right up there with fried chicken and waffles as a combo you don't expect to work, but somehow it just does. How did you guys come to this confusing business model?

Sunshine: "Well, maybe it’s more like A&W with Long John Silver's—that seemed weird at first and now they're everywhere. Seriously, first we looked into renting a space, but the rents are too outrageous. Then we ended up buying this building. We still lived in L.A. at the time, and it took quite some time to get our house sold and move. Meanwhile, we started the process of bringing the building, which is actually a house, up to code with parking and getting Martin’s license for tattooing in Kansas. Since it took so much time to get things in place, it was a toss-up on which one of us would use the space. It was decided that the real estate office would move in and open first. In the meantime, Martin commuted to work in Kansas City, Missouri, at Irezumi Body Art while waiting to get his Kansas license. The guys at Irezumi are awesome—we love them.

Ironically, just as the parking lot and rehabbing the building finished and Virtual Value opened, Martin was granted his license. This left us confused as to where to locate his shop. By Thanksgiving, we had a friend visit that does new store openings for Crate & Barrel. We asked for his opinion on a location for Martin’s shop. He looked around town and asked an interesting question, 'Why not share the space?' At first, we both thought that it would seem weird, even for Lawrence. After looking at rents again, and my business partner in Virtual Value announcing he was moving to Overland Park, we decided that it would work temporarily until the tattoo shop gets busy. Then I plan to move Virtual Value to another space, since office rent is cheaper than retail rent. Until then, we will be sharing the space and realtors get 10% off tattoos."

What were some of the hurdles and red tape clusterf*cks you had to navigate?

Sunshine: "Well, there were a lot. Getting a site plan, hiring an architect for only four parking spaces, meeting the neighbors—who are super, by the way—and getting tons of paperwork done, including having it notarized by a U.S. consulate in another country. It felt like that '60s movie, 'It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.' Best advice—always ask questions at least four times, be tenacious, and when in doubt hire a professional."

<strong>Leslie “Sunshine” Dunham</strong>, real estate agent/broker with Virtual Value Real Estate and <strong>Martin Del Camino,</strong> tattoo artist with Ichiban Tattoo Studio.

Submitted photo

Leslie “Sunshine” Dunham, real estate agent/broker with Virtual Value Real Estate and Martin Del Camino, tattoo artist with Ichiban Tattoo Studio.

Martin, how did an Argentinean tattoo artist with a love of Japanese art wind up in Kansas?

Martin: "We visited Lawrence a few times and I liked it. I love the Spencer, the art history library, and that there is a great Asian Studies program. Also, downtown reminds me of the neighborhood where my grandma lived outside Buenos Aires. Moving here I was interested in being able to expand my knowledge of fine art and Asian art history, and use that to make better Japanese-style tattoos."

Sunshine, how did an L.A. rockabilly gal with her own record label wind up in real estate?

Sunshine: "My mom and my grandparents were all realtors when I was a kid. I originally didn’t pay much attention to it, but I guess osmosis was involved. My record label was called Fiasco Records—check out Trouser Press, I'm listed there. Around the time the internet changed the music business, I gave up on working in the business and just did office work. When Martin and I got married, we bought our first house and I got totally interested. A friend in St. Louis, who was a realtor, got me thinking about flipping houses. I did that with him for about a year and a half, traveling a lot. Not the fun and glamor you see on TV. During that time, my friend encouraged me to get my license. So I started working in Los Angeles during the boom up until the start of bubble troubles. When we decided to move to Lawrence, I discovered something missing here. There was no discount real estate brokerage, which is a company that has discounted commissions. Since this is something happening in most cities, I thought it was a great opportunity to apply my craft and fill a missing niche in the real estate market."

What are your plans for the shop once it opens?

Martin: "I will be by appointment while it grows, then expand to full-time hours. We'll try to have quality guest artists if they are able to get licensed, and have some art shows several times a year with some of the 'kustom kulture' and tattoo fine artists I am friends with from Japan and the U.S.A. Eventually, I want to sell the t-shirts I design and other things too. It is called Ichiban Tattoo Studio and we are getting inspected by the state on May 6 and ready to go after that."

Any advice for aspiring real estate entrepreneurs out there? And by "real estate" I mean both land and decorated human flesh...

Martin: "Wear sunscreen—protect your investment from the sun. And always remember, 'Cheap tattoo today, expensive fix tomorrow.'"

Sunshine: "Remember when you said to yourself, 'I wish I bought back in 2002'? Well, the real estate clock has turned back time and you should look around—you can find some good deals out there and rates are still low."

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Townie guide to... tatting, flipping and entrepreneur-ing

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