Tattoo shop booms after national exposure

When Zach Mueller was attending college, his goal was to work his way into a law enforcement career.

Instead, he found another path.

It's been 15 years since Mueller opened Distinct Ink, 934 Corbett St., a Carson City tattoo and piercing shop, which is being featured in Skin and Ink Magazine.

"Since this came out it's gone a little crazy and I've had to hire someone to do PR work for me," he said.

Mueller's tattoo shop is being featured in the February 2011 issue of the periodical, detailing his journey into tattoos and the shop's six artists, including himself. The issue is on newsstands.

His break came when a photographer shooting in his shop for an adult magazine (Mueller does tattoos for some of the women who work at the Moonlite BunnyRanch), pulled some weight and landed the Carson City tattoo shop an eight-page feature in Skin and Ink.

"It's huge," he said of the magazine article. "It boomed business, it multiplied by hundreds."

The feature also showcases clients who have come to Distinct Ink for their tattoos.

Mueller points to one featured tattoo on a man who is a former gang member who came to the shop to upgrade his tattoo of Old English letters into a Japanese-style mural.

"It changed the guy's life," Mueller said. "Everyone of these people are local to Carson City and each I've created personal bonds with."

Mueller said the tattoo business has changed during the past 15 years, given the rise of shows like "Miami Ink" on TLC and clothing lines sold in malls that feature tattoo art.

"I think people realize tattooing is truly an art form," Mueller said. "You don't just have to get a little Tasmanian devil or Japanese kanji. People are able to put more meaning behind it because they realize you can recreate depth. Tattoos aren't one dimensional, they're three dimensional."

Mueller was born and raised in South Lake Tahoe. While attending Missouri Western State University, where he played football, he befriended a tattoo artist. It was that friendship that drew Mueller, a lifelong artist, into the world of body art.

He opened his first tattoo shop near Lake Tahoe in 1994, but decided to take the business to Carson City because it would rely on more locals than seasonal traffic.

"And it snowballed," he said. "I didn't intend to open a tattoo shop. We graduated with degrees in criminal justice. I intended to get into law enforcement and it didn't work out."

He adds, "It's been a blessing."