Calgary Entrepreneur: Electric Odyssey's all-female tattoo shop radiates girl power
Electric Odyssey is the only tattoo shop in Calgary that is entirely owned and operated by women.
Owners Nikki Smith and Janelle Reithmeier opened Electric Odyssey, now located in Inglewood, in 2014 after meeting each other while Smith was working through her apprenticeship.
Smith and Reithmeier stayed good friends after they had both left the shop where they originally met. Then a day came when they decided to open up a small, customer-focused shop themselves.
Image: Pagan Fires Photography
“Being an all female shop kind of just happened organically,” Smith explained. “We didn’t set out to be an all female shop, but here we are and we are proud of it. Tattooing, like many industries, has historically been a male dominated one, and I am proud of our strong female staff.”
Over time, Smith and Reithmeier have expanded their shop, adding three more females to their team, each one with their own unique style.
Smith says Calgary is exceptional in housing some of Canada’s most famous and esteemed female tattoo artists. “Karrie Arthurs, Sam Smith, and Heather Mclean, are legends in the industry. Being in the same city as those powerhouse artists is always an inspiration to really push our art, skill, and creativity.”
Image: Samantha Cashin / Daily Hive Calgary
Smith reckons they will keep their shop all female, saying it works for her team and believes it makes the environment quite fun and comfortable.
Clientele is made of an equal amount of men and women
“I feel like it’s just welcoming for women, older women especially, to get tattooed in a shop that’s all female.” Smith said. “But our clientele is made of an equal amount of men and women.”
Electric Odyssey’s main focus is to keep their customers happy and comfortable, while providing unique, quality tattoos.
“I don’t think anyone should feel nervous or intimidated,” Smith says. “Getting tattooed is an intimate experience. It can be scary, and often the reason a person is getting the tattoo is very important to them.”
The shop and the artists are all very friendly, talented, and professional. Every experience that happens in Electric Odyssey is built up to be as positive as it can.
Your tattoo from Electric Odyssey will be exclusively yours.
“As we are a custom tattoo shop, our artists choose to collaborate with our clients, using their ideas and concepts to create a unique and original design for each tattoo, rather than copying or reproducing other works of art,” Smith explained.
If you’re wanting to get a tattoo done by one of these talented ladies, you might need to act fast. All artists are in high demand and have to close their books quite frequently.
Electric Odyssey
Where: #16 1420 9th Avenue SE, Inglewood
Phone: (403) 569-2214
Email Address: [email protected]
Instagram: electricodysseytattoo
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