Origin Story: How Ragtime Came to Be

In 2011, I hit a wall. I was working in a busy street shop. My roots in tattooing stem from the hustle and bustle of the street shop, but after 15 years of tattooing, my clients wanted something more personal. This conflict forced me to make a decision: Should I stay in a street shop or move to a quieter work environment? Eventually, the noise, the pace, and the constant foot traffic made it impossible to give clients the attention they deserved, and my choice was easy. It was time to move on to the next chapter of my career.

Street shops can be fun, but not when you’re trying to do 4-hour-long sessions. I’d be tattooing one client while the station next to me cycled through six walk-ins. That meant my clients got asked the same questions over and over again by strangers. “Holy shit, man! That's huge! Does it hurt?” I watched them shift from excited to annoyed. They couldn’t focus, and neither could I.

I was already trying to shift into appointment-only work, but I didn’t have the right space for it. The environment didn’t match what I was trying to offer. I wasn’t interested in being the busiest artist. I wanted to be the most present one with my clients.

The First Version of Ragtime

That’s when my friend Matt Correll entered the picture. He had opened a small shop called Ragtime a few months earlier. It was just him and another artist. The place was quiet. No one knew about it. Matt was sober — so was I. That mattered. It felt like the proper foundation to try something different.

Ragtime became the next chapter. I was able to work by appointment only, without feeling like I had to apologize for it. We were able to curate the entire experience for our clients. Start to finish, we could control the environment. The vibe. The pace. The schedule.

 Eventually, around 2013, Matt and I parted ways, and I became the sole owner. Like or not, I was a shop owner and Ragtimes duties grew beyond me and my clients. Ragtime began to serve other artist and their clients as well.

Not a Transaction — A Relationship

When clients walk into Ragtime, they’re not just here to get tattooed.  They have a connection with Ragtime. They’re here to be seen and listened to. We’re not a volume shop. We’re not built on transactions. We’re built on relationships. That’s why our clients become our friends.

As tattooing gained popularity and more artists became serious about the craft, I noticed I wasn’t the only one feeling a disconnect from the traditional street shop model. I started bringing in artists who, like me, needed a place to regroup. Artists who wanted to figure out how to work by appointment, but had never been shown how.

We would discuss everything: scheduling, consultations, pricing, time management; all the behind-the-scenes stuff that can make or break your career. Ragtime became something of a launchpad. A safe spot for artists to rewire their approach to tattooing and then go out to start their own private studios.

Growth, Then Pulling Back

At its peak, Ragtime had eight artists. That was exciting but also too much. Ragtime was never meant to be a large operation. So, we scaled back. We reorganized. And we returned to the core of what made the shop work in the first place — taking care of both artists and clients in a way that genuinely feels good.

What's Next for Ragtime

We’re still evolving, but the mission stays the same:

• Help artists thrive while working appointment-only
• Guide clients on what it means to get large-scale, thoughtful work
• Hold space for people who want a better tattoo experience
• Accommodate smaller projects for clients who want to be treated better.

We also see the folks who are getting jerked around, the ones looking for something small but getting treated like an inconvenience. There are still good street shops out there, but they’re harder to find. That’s why I built a standard that I hold Ragtime to:

Would I feel comfortable if my daughter and her friend got tattooed here?
If I can say yes to that, then I know I’ve created something worth protecting.

Times Change

The final chapter of Ragtime is being written now.  In our final chapter, we are opening the shop to more clients and finding the middle ground between hidden and over exposed.

We are going to help clients who arent ready for large work but still want the treatment.  It wont matter of your only getting the shop minium, youll be treated as if youre getting your entire back tattooed!!

Matt Hodel

Owner/Artist
Ragtime Tattoo