Rejected in downtown Arlington Heights, tattoo shop inks lease for another location

A tattoo shop once eyed for a storefront near downtown Arlington Heights instead plans to open soon in a retail strip on Palatine Road.

Cherepovich Tattoo will lease a vacant 866-square-foot space at 1407 E. Palatine Road in the Pal-Win Plaza Shopping Center, after pivoting from its initial proposed location at 417 S. Arlington Heights Road.

Owner Artsiom Cherepovich received a favorable recommendation on the downtown proposal from the village’s conceptual plan review committee — a subset of the plan commission — last year. But when the project went to the full commission, it was rejected over concerns of parking availability and neighbors who didn’t think it was the right fit in the area.

Instead of bringing his zoning application to the village board — which ultimately has the power to grant or deny land use variations needed for tattoo parlors in town — Cherepovich decided to work with village staff to find another spot.

Village officials agreed with a parking analysis provided by the business that found the Palatine Road strip center’s 164-space lot is sufficient to handle new customers, and board members this week approved an ordinance granting zoning relief.

Cherepovich, who has 10 years of experience in the tattoo business, will be among four or five tattoo artists in the shop specializing in custom designs and cover-ups.

Market research indicates a growing demand for tattoo services among Millennials and Gen Z, according to the shop’s business plan.

“We believe that tattoos are one of many ways to express yourself, especially among the younger population of the Arlington Heights community, and we think that we could be a great fit to the area to help people do so,” said Inga Tkhostova, Cherepovich’s assistant.

The business will be the third standalone tattoo shop to receive zoning approvals in Arlington Heights since 2020. The first, Space Cat Tattoo, has since relocated to 1311 E. Rand Road in nearby Prospect Heights. The second, Midwest Tattoo Therapy, is at 19 N. Wilke Road.

Cherepovich Tattoo is planning an interior build out of four tattoo stations, a reception area, restroom and small kitchen. When complete, business hours will be from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday via appointments and walk-ins.