Alex Feliciano's vibrant, new location doles tremendous artwork from each member of its staff
NJ.com is visiting each of the five finalists and spending a day at their shops, in search for New Jersey's best tattoo shop. South Vineland's Firehouse tattoo was visited Monday and Pure Ink Tattoo was visited Tuesday. A winner will be named next week.
BROOKLAWN -- A wall in Alex Feliciano's tattoo station is covered -- floor to ceiling, maybe the width of his wingspan -- with golden plaques and first-place awards.
But the 39-year-old tattoo artist no longer competes. "Too much to dust," he says, of the trophies.
It'd be easy to take a statement like that as overconfidence, but it's really just a matter of fact. The friendly, unassuming South Jersey shop owner requires no further recognition. His incredible work speaks for itself.
12 oz Studios in Brooklawn, which is one of the five finalists in the search for N.J.'s best tattoo shop. (Bobby Olivier | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Feliciano leads a formidable staff at 12 oz Studios in Brooklawn, a vibrant, new shop relocated from a parlor a mile away.
The new locale -- a continuation of a business that first opened in 2005 -- resides just off a Route 130 traffic circle, 10 minutes from Philadelphia, and represents the latest chapter of Feliciano's artistic voyage.
The artist grew up in Camden, and spent years as a graffiti artist and air-brusher before moving on to ink.
Now, he runs a shop centered on building customer loyalty.
"I don't understand the old-school, 'what are you doing here?' tattoo shop attitude," he says. "If you rush through a tattoo to get them in and out of the chair, that person isn't coming back."
Feliciano also owns a location in Deptford, which specializes in body piercing. But he doesn't wish to franchise and lose his personal connection to the art.
"When you're holding someone's arm and you've seen them bleed, how can it just be about numbers and figures?" he asks.
THE ATMOSPHERE
The shop's vibrant decor matches its artists work, with a lime green and black theme without. Several eye-popping, original paintings by Feliciano are hung on the walls, the most impressive being an oversized airbrush pin-up, which overlooks a customized 12 oz Studios motorcycle.
The only eyesore is an exposed, cement wall in the lobby, left from when the structure used to be a gas station. Feliciano is working to get it fixed up, he says.
There isn't much of a waiting area here, just a few chairs near the counter. No TVs -- bring a book if you plan on accompanying a friend.
But the staff's banter is welcome entertainment. Endless laughs and good-natured ribbing among friends.
"We like to have fun here, it's all about experience for our clients," Feliciano says.
Owner Alex Feliciano at 12 oz Studios in Brooklawn, which is one of the five finalists in the search for N.J.'s best tattoo shop. (Bobby Olivier | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) THE ARTISTS
Five artists, Feliciano included, comprise 12 oz's staff at the Brooklawn location: Bobby Trefz, Chris Curtis, Tammi Rose and Feliciano's wife Meghan Patrick. Three part-time artists are listed at the business's Deptford location, as well as full-time body piercer AJ Goldman, who is the only certified Association of Professional Piercers member in South Jersey. Feliciano and his longtime co-worker Bobby Trefz are the senior inkers -- each has put in about 20 years -- and every other artist has been tattooing for a least a few years beyond their apprenticeships.
Feliciano is typically booked solid for three months -- he won't schedule anything beyond three months -- and Patrick has a lengthy waiting list as well. The other artists are more readily available, and walk-ins are always welcome.
The staff at 12 oz Studios in Brooklawn, which is one of the five finalists in the search for N.J.'s best tattoo shop. (Bobby Olivier | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)THE STYLES
Feliciano specializes in captivating color work, but his portfolio is as wide-ranging as them come, with plenty of Japanese, photo-realistic and neo-traditional styles mixed in. Highlights included a wonderfully drawn wolf in sheep's clothing, and a full sleeve of Las Vegas glitz.
His team is equally well-rounded. Patrick's softer drawing technique is beautiful, and Curtis's bold lines were striking.
Work from Alex Feliciano's portfolio at 12 oz Studios in Brooklawn, which is one of the five finalists in the search for N.J.'s best tattoo shop. (Bobby Olivier | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) CLEANLINESS
Perhaps its virtue of the shop only being open for a few months, but every inch of 12 oz was squeaky clean. The stations were well-kept, the lobby was neat. The aforementioned unfinished wall in the waiting area may be off-putting to some, though it doesn't affect any actual inking.
Paul Reyes gets a tribal tattoo covered up by Meghan Patrick at 12 oz Studios in Brooklawn, which is one of the five finalists in the search for N.J.'s best tattoo shop. (Bobby Olivier | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)THE X-FACTOR
The mix of talent and personality at 12 oz Studios gives it an edge. When walking around the shop and chatting with the staff, each artist is obviously talented, but are also engaging, and happy to talk about music, or which actors appeared in which "Godfather" film. The group is both welcoming and passionate.
"We're like a family here," Feliciano says.
Artist Chris Curtis draws at 12 oz Studios in Brooklawn, which is one of the five finalists in the search for N.J.'s best tattoo shop. (Bobby Olivier | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Next up is Rorschach Gallery, in Edison. A story on the shop will be posted Monday.
Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier. Find NJ.com on Facebook.