ROGERS PARK — The owners of Greenleaf Tattoo Company were clear their new shop would be all about art.
"We have our own style," said Rafael Bratman, 36, who opened the shop with tattoo artist Ian Rotundo. "We're about art."
Bratman said the small storefront at 1766 W. Greenleaf Ave. would feature the jewelry he makes — and neighborhood artists are invited to hang their work on the shop's walls.
Rotundo, a 36-year-old transplant from Brooklyn, N.Y., said he'd be doing most of the tattooing on Greenleaf.
His tattoo career began 15 years ago.
"I tried it on myself and I was hooked," he said.
Then last year, he moved to Chicago — with only his tattooing equipment in tow — to "start over," he said.
Now, he's already had a handful of customers, proven by the sketches hanging on the shop's wall behind its two red tattoo chairs.
In all the work he does, he discourages impulsive tattoos that often lead to regret, he said.
"We know tattoos are a part of you forever," he said. "Why tarnish the tattoo industry for fast money?"
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