Both tattoo parlours and record shops have seen significant growth over the past decade as people look for ways to define and display their taste in art.
What would happen if two popular styles of expression combined into the best of both worlds: getting a tattoo and buying a record in the same place?
In that case, meet Barry Mantle. In 2016, he founded Chase the Glory Tattoos and Records in the historic community of Brooklin. Since then, the business has experienced consistent growth, expanded its customer base and solidified its presence in the area.
Walking into Chase the Glory is a unique experience. Despite the shop being located on the upper floor of a bright yellow house, it is very sleek and modern, with various records, merchandise and prints adorning the walls.
Some slight music comes from the record player and fills the air. Although tattoo shops can be intimidating, Chase the Glory’s atmosphere makes it warm and welcoming.
Mantle first got into tattoos when he was 18 years old. His first tattoo was an arm band he sketched in his university dorm room. He’s been hooked ever since.
Today, he is covered in traditional American and gothic-style tattoos, which are hidden until he rolls up his sleeves and reveals all of the bold colours that come with the style choice.
As he got more and more tattoos and started getting involved with the community, he fell deeper in love with them, and connected further with the community over the art form.
He also loved the expression and meaning behind them and how tattoos could mean whatever the collector wanted.
“When I went to my first tattoo convention, I saw a collection of people sharing the same outlook on art and values,” he said. “That’s when I started getting hooked and started meeting people, and they’re all like-minded. I really enjoyed having that connection.”
Being an entrepreneur wasn’t his first career choice, however. He originally worked in commercial insurance. The process of working with other entrepreneurs gave him insight into their operations and he began to think about running his own business.
“That kind of opened the door like, hey, maybe I can do this,” he said.
It didn’t take long for clients to learn of his passion for tattooing as he didn’t look the part of a traditional insurance broker.
“It was kind of a fun thing; they’d see a guy walking with a suit on, and I would start to peel my stuff off, and I’d have tattoos underneath,” he said. “My clients were mostly surprised by it.”
Having a love for music and tattoos, he tried to combine the two as best as he could, which is what led to the idea for the shop now known as Chase the Glory.
“I just said, ‘OK, you have a house, you have a mortgage, you have children, is this something you want to do? Do you want to roll the dice on this?’ There was no room for failure.”
Mantle and their staff pride themselves on being the only tattoo shop in the ever-growing historic Brooklin, and they’ve quickly become the go-to spot for local residents to get some permanent artwork.
Being a small business is hard during this difficult economic time, and they find a way to make it work every single day without an ounce of quit.
It has been a rollercoaster seven years for Mantle and his staff. They have seen a tremendous amount of growth, and they take pride in what they do every single day.