When the tenants renting spaces in the now-closed Yard Birds shopping mall were unexpectedly evicted at the end of 2022, many of the business owners were forced to temporarily close as they scrambled to find new spaces to rent.
For some, the temporary closure turned permanent, but not for Michael Cristina. Now 57 and living in Chehalis, Cristina is still running his studio, Skindoodle Tattoo, which he describes as the oldest established tattoo studio still open in Lewis County.
He first began tattooing at 17 in 1983 before moving to Centralia in 1989 when he first opened Skindoodle on Tower Avenue in 1994. Cristina closed it in 2012 to pursue another career, but eventually found himself wanting to ink clients once more in 2021.
Cristina invited The Chronicle to his new studio on Thursday, Oct. 19, where he said he is just happy to finally have his equipment set up again to tattoo clients. He officially reopened over the summer.
During the interview, Cristina was doing a tattoo touch-up for Nic Ettner, of Toledo, whose shoulder tattoo of roses had faded after 25 years.
“After what happened these last couple years, this is definitely the thing to be doing,” Cristina said while tattooing Ettner.
Skindoodle is now in an office at Mary’s Barbershop, located at 1570 N. National Ave., suite 107, in Chehalis.
Cristina explained the owner of the barbershop had initially offered him the office several years prior, but he opted for the bigger space in Yard Birds instead in January 2022, spending nearly $5,000 converting the space only to lose it less than a year later.
All this happened after he had reopened Skindoodle on Tower Avenue in 2021 but was forced to move when the building was sold.
Despite those setbacks, he found a bit of luck as the space at Mary’s was still available this year following the Yard Birds eviction.
Occupying a cozy office in the barbershop, Cristina offers clients a private tattoo experience where he’ll ink out any piece, from touch-ups to custom designs.
“Most everything people want now is custom. They know the details and how they want it to work,” Cristina said.
He has seen an increase in clients requesting “in remembrance” tattoos for lost loved ones. Ettner added his four grandchildren were actually all getting them following the loss of his daughter-in-law.
“Their mother passed away, and so the siblings all got together and made a design in her honor,” Ettner said.
As for the touch up work he was doing for Ettner, Cristina explained how the process worked.
“It’s not going to look the same as it originally did,” Cristina said.
First, he outlined the design, but slightly inside of the tattoo’s original outline. This allowed him to add depth with more color to the end design. The tattoo’s design features two roses and was originally red, but Ettner said he was letting Cristina pick the new colors.
For those interested in getting tattoo work done at Skindoodle, Cristina currently works by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, call Cristina at 360-523-4438 or contact him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/skindoodletattoo.
Additionally, Skindoodle isn’t the only business formerly open in Yard Birds that is now located at 1570 N. National Ave.
The Squirrel Hut Boutique now occupies suite 108 directly across from Mary's Barbershop and Skindoodle Tattoo. Look for a feature on The Squirrel Hut Boutique in an upcoming edition of The Chronicle.
