Nice McTat

How many people would you say have a tattoo now? I’d guess that you’re thinking of a large number, somewhere between “lots” and “everybody”, but up in the “just about everybody” range. And I’ve been noticing that a lot of people have a lot of tattoos, like a whole arm or most of their back.

And tattoos aren’t cheap—in fact, they’re pretty expensive. So we’re talking a lot of money here. Tattoos have to be a big money business. Where are all the tattoo companies coming out with IPOs? Where is the Wal-Mart or Starbuck’s of tattooing?

I don'’t think we’ll see it, and I have a theory why. Every tattoo you see out there was created by an individual artist. That design was drawn painstakingly by a person over a long time. Even though tattoos appear to have mass appeal, they can’t really be mass-produced. Maybe that’s why people like them.