Hell Bent Tattoos is giving away free work in exchange for furniture donations.
/ FOX21: Aly Myles
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Looking to get inked? It could just cost you some old furniture.
Hell Bent Tattoos on South Nevada Avenue in Colorado Springs is giving free vouchers for tattoo work with no expiration date in exchange for gently used furniture and household items. It's all benefitting another local business: The Arc.
"We're just trying to give back to the community a little bit," the owner of Hell Bent Tattoos, James Ortiz, said. "We're working hard for free. Our artists are using all their equipment, and we're in the middle of summer which is a busy time to be doing this. We're trying to show tattoo shops aren't all bad stereotypes."
Starting their ads on Craigslist, Hell Bent employees said they've endured fellow competing parlors flagging their ads, making possible donators wary of giving. Ortiz said he's just trying to help out people with developmental disabilities. The Arc district manager, Susan McPherson, said people with disabilities are a large demographic of who the stores try to help.
"One of the coolest parts working in this type of business is the heartwarming stories that come out of it," McPherson said. "You talk to anybody: a parent, a child, a neighbor, a friend who has been touched with or has a disability and something brings out the best in people. They want to help and be a part of people's lives."
Until July 11, Hell Bent will be accepting donations and giving vouchers away for as much as $300. Melissa Orr, who donated Monday, said though the voucher is a perk, it's not why she donated a whole children's bedroom set.
"To give back to the community, it's definitely a perk to get credit at a tattoo parlor, but it's kind of what we do," Orr said. "As soon as we found out it had to do with the community, it's just a really good idea and something we really wanted to do even if we didn't get the credit. It was worth it just to help out."
Hell Bent Tattoos is located on South Nevada and St. Elmo Avenue, near South Gate.
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