Owner of Black Ink Tattoo Studio, Caesar Emanuel, revealed on Instagram Monday that he is building a new Black Ink tattoo studio to the city of Brotherly Love. Emanuel posted a photo of him signing what is believed to be the building lease for the popular South Street location he is pursuing. This announcement comes after almost exactly a year since the grand opening of Black Ink’s Atlanta location.
The Black Ink Tattoo shop that originiated in Harlem, New York became a nationally recognized brand after their VH1 reality series Black Ink Crew became a hit show. Now in its sixth season, Caesar and his partner, Ted, who is also regularly on the show, are continuing to build and expand their brand with this being their fifth location with two shops in New York City, one in Orlando and one in Atlanta.
“Imagine you said you wanted a shop in Philadelphia and BOOM you have @blackinkphilly on SOUTH STREET…” Caesar posted on his Instagram account to his more than a million followers.
Ted also posted on his Instagram account with the same photo captioned, “Whatever you think you can accomplish mulitply that by 1,000…Grand opening coming soon.”
The current season of Black Ink Crew started out showing Caesar’s time at the Atlanta location and christening the new establishment in traditional Black Ink fashion. Despite the on camera partying and seemingly lackadaisical management, Black Ink has become a well respected brand in the tattoo community and its continued expansion is a sign of the success they’ve had not just since the TV series, but since their days on Lenox Ave. in Harlem being a locally renowned tattoo shop.
Caesar is expected to announce the date of the Philadelphia shop’s grand opening on Wednesday.
