May 15, 2017

Meet Kim Saigh of Memoir Tattoo in Beverly Grove

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Saigh.

Kim, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I began tattooing in Cleveland in 1992, moved to Chicago in 95′ for better opportunities, and 13 years later found myself heading to LA to do a reality show about tattooing. I’ve always loved Los Angeles and wanted to live here. After the show was over, I knew that I wanted to stay, but wanted a somewhat private, less street traffic kind of environment to work in, and at the same time, find a good reason to make Shawn Barber (my boyfriend and partner at Memoir), move to Los Angeles from the Bay area. I searched long and hard to find what is now Memoir Tattoo. We were blessed to find an architectural gem-one look at the ceiling, and I knew it had to be our shop!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth roads are overrated… No, it hasn’t been. When I went looking for a place, before I found ours, landlords and rental agencies would hang up on me when I would tell them what I wanted to use the space for.

Our idea was to have a no distractions, relaxed environment to tattoo in, and be tattooed in, as well as space for Shawn to make art in.

We knew we wanted to add some other tattooers into the mix eventually, as it keeps everyone inspired, and moving forward. We’ve sifted through a small handful to find the right ones, but we have a righteous group of artists now…

We’re also in the back of the building, which can be both a blessing and a curse-good if you’re established, not good if you’re trying to keep everyone busy…

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Memoir Tattoo – what should we know?
We make tattoos! Our shop has a well-rounded array of artists that can offer and accommodate most requested styles of tattooing. If one of us isn’t suited for the job, we recommend someone that can, whether it’s within, or outside of the shop. Our artists do mostly anything- color, black and gray, realism, traditional, illustrative, Japanese, and portraits.

I think what makes me most proud of Memoir, is that we’ve never compromised our values or original intentions. There’s always honest communication with our customers even if it means we don’t get your business, and the space is a beautiful, art-filled safe haven to work or be tattooed in- egos are to be left at the door.

We also host quite a few guest artists throughout the year.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think the best attributes to be successful as a tattooer aside from the obvious set of skills, are sensitivity, honesty, problem solving skills, and the want to give the client the best tattoo possible.

Always trying to grow and improve is key to staying relevant, and not grow stale and complacent. Working with younger artists always helps to keep things fresh.

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