Charleston City Paper readers voted Jacob Reiss, a.k.a. @j.j.quick as Charleston’s Best Tattoo Artist earlier this year — it’s a big title to win in an area like Charleston where the tattoo culture is strong and places to get tatted are a’plenty. Reiss’s work sticks out for its excellence and simplicity — he makes fine-line, clean and simple single-needle tattoos of just about anything.
Now he’s celebrating another win, this one shared with fellow tattoo artist and longtime pal Bunny Stardust, who said her bubbly, bright style of tattooing, often including full color and animated characters is “meant to make you smile.”
Reiss and Stardust celebrated this month the opening of their brand new business, the Abracadabra Tattoo Club in Moncks Corner.
Walking into Abracadabra, you’re greeted by cutesy Betty Boop figures on the front doors. The sun-filled studio boasts an open layout where you can see into each of the five resident tattooer’s spaces and gaze upon their awesome artworks covering the walls — from hyper realistic black and white drawings to wildly colorful oil paintings depicting anime characters.
“When you pull up, you just feel comfortable and safe,” Reiss said. “You walk through the door, you’re greeted by our receptionist Victoria, who is an angel. She always has a smile on and greets you with your name.”
Stardust said she and Reiss were adamant on making Abracadabra clients feel like they’re “hanging out at a friend’s house. … It’s about making a space where people feel comfortable and welcome.”
The dream team
There are totally diverse styles of tattooing covered by the five resident artists at Abracadabra: Nick Bishop thrives in black and gray hyper-realism, illustrative realism comes from Bre Eazy, and cool West Coast-style work flows out of Cowboy Dan. Add Reiss’s single needle lines and Stardust’s colorful masterpieces, and you’ve got a pretty magical combination.
Many of the tattooers have worked together before — Reiss and Stardust met during their time working together at Blu Gorilla — and part of the motivation behind opening their business was to get all their favorite artists and friends in one space.
“We definitely have the dream team,” Reiss said. “And that was the point of opening this place. I wanted to work with my friends everyday and make a place where they want to go to work.”
“We’re like one big family,” Stardust added.
Reiss and Stardust expressed gratitude for how smoothly and successfully the opening of their business has gone. It’s obvious that the friendship and communication between the business partners — who literally finish each other’s sentences — is a huge reason for that. “She’s my rock,” Reiss said. “We can get over any hump together.”
The pair’s emphasis on communication and respect pours into the way they approach clients.
“We get to personally know everybody that comes in here,” Reiss said. “It’s about building relationships with people so they want to come back. That’s what tattooing has always been about for me. It’s never been about the money. It’s getting to put my art on people and getting to know people.”
Stardust sees her role as a tattooer similarly. “I just love creating and helping someone express themself. In my view, self-expression is one of the most important things. And I love getting to help people do that.”
Making magic
Abracadabra is in Moncks Corner, but it’s super close to Goose Creek, Cane Bay and lots of new development, which is part of the reason for the location choice, the pair explained. But also, there’s no need to work downtown when these artists are bringing in clientele from all over the country and beyond.
In the short time they’ve been open this summer, the Abracadabra team has already tattooed folks from Canada, England and Japan.
Opening the business that they’ve conceptualized for years is a dream come true for Stardust and Reiss, who each infused a bit of their personality in the shop’s details. “The Betty Boops on the door are an ode to my grandma,” Stardust said, “who is one of my favorite people on the entire planet. She’s the one who supported me when I first started tattooing.”
And Reiss said he’d been “sitting on the name forever,” explaining that it comes from the 1967 Brenton Wood song “Oogum Boogum.”
“I wanted to name this place after that song, but everyone I would talk to about it would be like, what in the f***, how do you even spell that?” he laughed. “I looked into it and it turns out the song was originally supposed to be called Abracadabra.”
Then Stardust suggested tattoo “club” instead of “studio” or “shop” for its connotation of community. Lots of elbow grease later, and a grand opening party on
Aug. 11 — the first of many fun events to be held there — Abracadabra Tattoo Club was born.
Check out Abracadabra Tattoo Club on Instagram at @abracadabra.tattooclub.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.
