Welcome to the Neighorhood!

Two new places in Belltown - and they're not bars or restaurants! The first is Under the Needle Tattoo:

I've written about this place before, but back then they weren't open and I didn't know what they were called. Now it appears that they're open for actual business. This makes them Belltown's only tattoo parlor. If you're in urgent need of a tattoo, check them out. You can find them on 2nd Ave., between Blanchard & Lenora. Basically, if you walk past the V Bar, you've either gone too far or not far enough. I have no interest in skin art (Free Bird!! Whoooo!!), but the window promises that there's more to them than ink:

What the heck are "soft goods?" Anyhow, the place looks clean and friendly enough.

Next up is a shop called Damaged Goods:

I swear to God, I'm totally oblivious about some things. For nearly a year, this space was the Halogen Gallery, the place that was right next to Roq La Rue. Well, that's no longer true! Unbeknownst to me, Halogen and Roq La Rue merged, and Halogen's former space suddenly became Damaged Goods. If I'm wrong about that, let me know. Here's their story: it's a thrift/vintage/music/junk store owned by former Screaming Trees drummer, Mark Pickerel. According to my source, the shop came about when Pickerel's brother-in-law moved into his house and thus displaced a bunch of his stuff. Instead of putting it into storage, Pickerel decided to open a store and sell it. I haven't been inside yet - they keep some odd hours, as do I - but from the window, they seem to have a lot of interesting stuff. They're located on 2nd Ave., Between Battery and Bell.

You know, when I first moved into the neighborhood, there were a handful of thrift/vintage/antique stores. They were fun to have around. But they've all been gone for years. It's nice to see one make its way back here. Anyhow, let's welcome them to the neighborhood by getting a pentagram tattoo and an old copy of Soul Sauce by Cal Tjader.