From Tattooing in Santiago to Owning a Studio in Manhattan
Miguel Banks inked figures of Dominican urban music before opening his own shop in New York. Here's how he got there.
Key points
- Tattooed Lápiz Conciente, Mozart La Para, Vakeró and Arcángel "La Maravilla" before emigrating
- Started tattooing at 13 or 14 years old, using improvised machines
- Arrived in New York in the summer of 2012
- Now runs Banks Tattoo at 180th Street and Broadway, with eight tattoo artists
Long before settling in New York, Miguel Banks had already put his art on figures of Dominican urban music. Lápiz Conciente, Mozart La Para, Vakeró and Arcángel "La Maravilla" were among the artists who sat in his chair while he was building his career in Santiago.
His interest in tattooing started unexpectedly. He says that seeing a tattoo machine in an episode of the series Oz sparked a curiosity that later became his profession. At just 13 or 14 years old, he began practicing with a friend using improvised machines. He acknowledges that those first pieces were far from the professional standards he learned later.
Later, a cousin who also worked in the trade gave him equipment and materials, which helped him improve. Between 2008 and 2009 he started working from a small space inside a friend's barbershop in Santiago, gradually gaining clients until he had what he needed to open his own business.
In the summer of 2012 he arrived in the United States after marrying a woman he had met years earlier in the Dominican Republic. Although he already had experience and clients who knew his work, establishing himself legally in New York was a challenge. Licenses, health permits, business paperwork and the requirements to rent a space were obstacles he had to overcome. In the meantime, he offered his services at clients' homes or worked temporarily in friends' barbershops.
Social media helped during that stage. Through Instagram and Facebook he stayed in touch with former Dominican clients and introduced himself to new people. "It's not that fast," he says, recalling the difficulties before he opened his shop.
Once the paperwork was resolved, other challenges followed: raising the capital to fit out the space and building a client base that could sustain the business. Banks started practically alone and later brought in other professionals, who also had to meet the requirements to practice the trade.
Today he runs Banks Tattoo, located at 180th Street and Broadway in Upper Manhattan, where eight tattoo artists work. The shop serves clients of many nationalities, and Dominicans make up an important part of them.
Why it matters
The story shows that a trade learned in the Dominican Republic can become a formal business in the U.S., though securing licenses and permits took a long and costly process.