Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Necker.
Hi Craig, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started tattooing in 2010. I was a single father barely making ends meet so I started tattooing out of my garage to supplement my income. I opened my first shop Under Your Skin Tattoos in 2012 in Central City, Nebraska then Palmer, Nebraska in 2014. During the covid shutdowns of 2020 my wife and I decided to move our family to Florida. I closed my shop, relocated my family to Green Cove Springs and started tattooing at one of the beach shops to start rebuilding clientele. In 2021 I reopened my shop in Orange Park, then in 2023 moved Under Your Skin Tattoos to our permanent location at 401 Walnut Street, Green Cove Springs, FL.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
God has blessed me and the road has been smooth for the most part, however it was a bit of a struggle moving my business half way across country and starting over. Before we moved I targeted my Facebook and social media ads to the Jacksonville areas. I went out and socialized after moving, introducing myself to new people and just put in the work. Word of mouth took off and before you knew it, I was busy again.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Under Your Skin Tattoos?
Under your Skin Tattoos has been in operation since 2011. I wanted to create a tattoo studio that broke the negative stigmas of the industry. I’m versatile in all forms of tattooing but I specialize in black and grey/ color realism. I’m best known for quality tattoos and customer service. I’m a Christian and attend the Church of Eleven 22, my goal is to do my best with what God has given me and to treat my clients with the best service they could ask for. Since we’ve relocated our shop to Florida, we’ve won Best Tattoo shop of Clay county the past 3 of the last 4 years. This year we also won Best Locally Owned business as well. Our piercer DeAna Ruiz has won Best Body Piercer the past 4 years in a row. Our shop has several artist to chose from, each possessing their own style. Our shop can do it all from fine line, traditional, watercolor, realism and cover ups. We strive to treat our clients the way we would like to be treated. Our shop is also known for it’s cleanliness, and it’s positive and welcoming vibe.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
There’s so many people to thank for this journey. Most of all, I thank God for all my clients and blessing me along this journey. My wife Brittany has been my biggest supporter, being patient and understanding of the many late nights, sacrificing weekends and encouraging me whenever I felt down. My shop crew has obviously played a huge role in our success here in Florida, DeAna Ruiz is an amazing person and body piercer. Her professionalism and customer service is hard to match. The shop artist include Derek Beltz, Tony Robinson, Josiah Schmelzer, Dylan Beneduce and Justin Taddei. Everyone of them is a great asset to the shop, each with their own style and friendly personality. They really are my second family when I’m at work.
Pricing:
- $100 shop minimum
- $180 hr for Craig
- $150 hr for all other artist
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.underyourskintattoos.com/
- Instagram: @underyourskintattoos
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnderYourSkinTattoo
