The Tattoo and Body Art Expo was a great show. There were an estimated 45,000 people attending during the three days it took place.

I was absolutely amazed by the response of attendees to our body jewelry and booth in general. I met so many nice people. It was like one huge party or maybe a circus where the performers were the attendees.

I enjoyed myself. It was kind of up lifting. People see so much bad press about people that are on the fringe of society from conservatives, that they start believing it. Of all the people I met at the show there was not one that disrespected my company or me. All I heard was praise.I think I can count a few of the people I met as new friends.

It was a show where people could proudly show their distinctive body art. It was a show full of people who want to express themselves a little differently than the main stream and I think they were all received well and in heightened moods as a result. It is the American dream to be able to express our selves without judgment.

It was amazing to me to talk to piercer after piercer who was fed up with so many inferior imports flooding the market. They were all glad to see our high quality product at reasonable prices. Perhaps there is hope for products made in America.

I recommend these shows to anybody.

- Jim Coffman

Owner/Body Jewelry Designer TOTM

Aaaah that familiar buzzing sound filling the air, making your skin itch for new ink. Everywhere you looked there were people sharing a common bond, the art of tattoos and body piercing. It was the 2004 body art expo at the Pomona Fairplex. The large majority of the booths were tattoo and body piercing shops from all over the country and few from abroad. The rest were vendors selling t-shirts, art, sunglasses or stuff related to the industry.

I was there as one of the proud employees representing Tears Of The Moon or TOTM as you may know us. The air at the show was filled with excitement. Some of our employees were at a show for the first time and they enjoyed it. Being a tattoo enthusiast myself it was awesome to see all the great artwork, styles, and expressionism, portrayed on people’s bodies. The attitude of everybody was very friendly and easygoing. It made it easy to talk them about body jewelry and TOTM. Another plus was that our booth location was across from the legendary Lyle Tuttle!

When I got a chance to walk around it was neat to see all the booths. I enjoyed being able see artist from all over the country working right there in front of me, that normally I would only see their work in a magazine. I think it is also a big attraction at these events for people to get a tattoo from someone they would not normally be able to, but who’s work they respect. One thing that stood out for me was an artist named Noah. His work was phenomenal. He airbrushed a lady’s body over the course of a couple hours to look very robotic! I also saw Art from the TV show Mad Mad House cruising around the show. I think a lot of other people at the show had a great time too. All in all, I think it was a lot of fun and look forward to more shows in the future.

- Chris P.

Body Jewelry Designer – TOTM

I always get caught up in the visual overload at these shows. There’s so much to see! There is always someone with an impressive or unique piercing, interesting body modification or art-masterpiece tattoo to view. When you are working the booth, though, it can get crazy when the show is busy!

This show is also a great way for us to talk directly with the people who ultimately buy our products. This means a lot to us. The more information we can get about what our customers want to wear, the better it is for all of us. We get a lot of our initial design ideas from talking with fellow members of the piercing culture and their piercers. From what makes a more comfortable labret to our newest explosions in organic look stainless steel tapers like the Sawtooth Spirals & Pinchers, we are always looking to the wearers of body jewelry for our inspiration, cause that’s where everything is happening.

We are now gearing up for another show on the heels of the Body Art Expo, and this is a biggy. Ink Slingers will be held at the Hollywood Palladium (California) in September and we’ll be there. We hope to see and talk with as many of you as possible during the show. We are working on some special pieces just for Ink Slingers, so be sure to come by and visit our booth.

I’ll post more information on the dates of the show and where we’ll be located in about a week.

Thanks to all who helped with the Expo!

Thanks to all who stopped by our booth!

Thanks to all who support body jewelry and TOTM!

Thanks to Mega Productions for putting on this awesome event!

- Sandra C.

Creative Director - TOTM

Past Features:

Tatoo and Body Art Expo 2004
An Account of Body Jewlery though out the World