They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. The career of world-famous tattoo artist Carl “Shotsie” Gorman has spanned decades and taken the artist to dozens of countries. Gorman, an author, poet, and painter, creates hand-tufted carpets, handmade boxwood boxes, and he decorates and builds furniture and sculptures.
The one step that began Gorman’s journey started in a small studio in Union City. Before he was even able to occupy the space he had chosen for his studio in 1980, he ran into immediate and heavy opposition from the city. According to Gorman, “Opening a shop was always a struggle. There was a complexity of issues. The town was extremely corrupt at the time.”
It must be understood that at this point in time, the mystique that surrounded tattooing was still a negative one. Society in general saw people who had tattoos as ruffians, criminals, people that operated in the shadows. Long-off were the days when almost anyone in a business suit could very well be hiding a multitude of ink.
As a consequence, town commissioners looked upon the artists that plied the ink trade as people to be “dealt with” and treated them accordingly.
Gorman alleges, “[The city] tried to take a $2,000 ‘business owners’ fee.’ The most expensive one at the time was $500, which was still astronomical, but I paid it.”
Gorman finally waded through the mire of city politics and prejudice against tattooing and opened his shop at 38th Street and Kennedy Boulevard in Union City. To imply that he wasn’t nervous about it would be woefully inaccurate.
“I woke up that morning a nervous wreck. I asked my wife, ‘what if nobody comes?'” he said.
Gorman needn’t have worried. “I got to the studio early that morning and thought I’d open the door before opening time to get some air, and when I did open the door, there was a line of 30 people waiting for me to open,” he said.
From that point on, Gorman was able to enjoy the truly eclectic community that existed, and still exists, in the city.
For the Paterson-born-and-bred Gorman, Union City was an unknown quantity.
“Union City was an interesting community. I hadn’t known anything about the Cuban community there. They taught me a lot about their culture and their food. There was a real sense of community.”
Gorman recalled a cast of characters that seemed to come straight off a movie screen.
“There was the other side, too,” he said. “The Italian-Americans who all wanted to be ‘wise guys.’ There were some that always used to hold up the trains at the station.”
He added, “I also got to know the Cubans more. I tattooed a ‘Santero,’ which is a priest of the Santeria religion, and through him, he brought me much more business.”
Gorman describes a Bergenline Avenue that isn’t much different from today.
“All the businesses that were Cuban-owned were always the best. It was a nice community,” he said.
Gorman moved his operation out of Union City in 1982 and he hasn’t looked back, garnering fame and accolades wherever he landed. In the years since, he worked within the system to establish a set of rules and standards in which the tattoo industry can operate. With the advent of AIDS (amongst others that can be passed by dirty needles, such as hepatitis), the public’s demand for safe and clean tattoo equipment was increased. Gorman worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of his patrons. He worked with the state’s Department of Health to establish standards for tattoo practices and licensing procedures.
“There wasn’t anything like that back in Union City. I was never inspected. That was a common thread,” he said.
As it stands, there is only one tattoo studio in Union City today – Lucky’s on 37th Street.
According to owner Billy Deane, “It wasn’t easy to open up. It took me about a year and about $15,000 to $20,000 in legal fees. I had to go to Planning Board meetings and stuff like that. It was rough.” Lucky’s has been in the city for five years, and since opening has had no problems with the town. q