STRONGSVILLE, Ohio — In Strongsville, business owners are celebrating after a change to a zoning ordinance allowing more flexibility to businesses offering permanent ink services, including tattooing and permanent makeup.
When people hear "permanent ink," they often think of traditional tattooing. However, the industry has expanded dramatically.
Olga Hays, owner of Premium Permanent Makeup, thinks cosmetics.
"I do permanent eyebrows, lips, eyeliner, and scalp micro pigmentation," said Hays. "It’s about creating beautiful faces and making women confident."
Earlier this year, Olga signed a lease to open her new permanent makeup salon in Strongsville, only to discover that zoning restrictions prohibited her business from operating in that space.
Hays took customers for other cosmetic needs, including nails and eyelash extensions. But for months, she wasn't able to use her salon for its intended purpose, which was permanent makeup, leading her to lose up to $28,000
Due to Strongsville’s previous ordinance, tattoo parlors and establishments offering permanent ink were classified the same as bars and hookah lounges, limiting where they could operate. These zoning laws essentially didn’t allow permanent ink services in many areas, including Jonathan Miller’s business, Image Studios, where he rents out suites to independent beauty artists.
"Unfortunately, we had to turn away several body artists, both for PMU (permenant make up) and decorative tattooing," Miller said.
After turning about six artists away, Miller lost approximately $100,000 due to vacancies. Those spaces in the building are still empty.
Determined to fix the issue, Miller went to Strongsville City Council.
“Educating our city officials that all types of tattooing are more accepted and are much more mainstream is important,” Miller said.
City Council member Jim Kaminski agreed, recognizing the need to update former laws.
“We evolve in these fields, no different than we involved in other technologies, with computers and the internet, right? We're constantly seeing changes in those fields. Why would tattooing be any different, or permanent makeup be any different,” said Councilman Jim Kaminski.
Monday, the city council unanimously amended the prior ordinance, reclassifying tattoo parlors and permanent makeup studios under general business zoning. This change provides more flexibility and opens new opportunities for local businesses.
After 11 months of working with the city council, Miller was thrilled to call back those artists.
Meanwhile, Olga eagerly awaits welcoming her new clients. She has a few final steps to complete before receiving her health board certificate, but once that's approved, she’ll be ready to go.
