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HISTORY OF RAW INK
The name RAW INK comes from Bobby's initials, Robert Anthony Weschler (R.A.W.)
Bobby apprenticed under Don "Big Don" Willett, who passed on Dec 30, 2022, but his memory and teachings will be cherished forever. RAW INK will always be dedicated in his memory.
After being mentored by "Big Don" for three years, RAW INK Tattoo Studio was created and has since evolved multiple times over the past 16 years and four locations. Each location offered a new opportunity to express our creativity and passion for the tattoo industry. These locations each possessed their own magic, individual accents and character, but two features will remain a highlight within RAW INK's walls. Art and Music will always be our love and focus.
"Big Don" would be proud of how many talented award winning artists his teachings were passed down to through Bobby to help usher them into this crazy industry, just as he did for Bobby.
FIRST LOCATION
7676 A AIRPARK RD | 1100 sq ft | 2009-2011
This location was beside a chopper motorcycle shop called "Iron Works" which gave us some unique background noise we all could appreciate. Bingo was the previous renter whose "Garage Boyz Magazine" was a huge supporter of RAW INK. Chopper was the owner of Iron Works and Bobby's first landlord. RAW INK never would have made it without his understanding and support through our growth.
The space needed a complete redesign from its professional office look the magazine had, so we tore up the carpet and stained the cement floors chocolate brown and sprayed black along the edges to make it look like the floor was vignetted or had been through a fire. We added some clean white floor molding, spray-painted tan designs on the white ceiling tiles, hung guitars on the walls, and parked a chopper inside the studio. The walls were a dull mustard yellow with magenta purple velvet full length curtains on the tall brick windows. We were right down the street from our local Harley Davidson dealership which was perfect for shared events, and the fact we all liked riding and tinkering with motors, even the smaller motors that ran our tattoo machines at the time and are relics now. The shop was finished and ready to use.
This shop was also where Bobby mentored his first group of tattoo artists. Friends that he knew had the talent to reach a better quality of life while doing what they loved to do. Lessons were learned on both sides and over a couple years, expansion required more space to house our growing group of artists who were bumping elbows and wanting their own rooms. We had DJs at our events and even those spilled outside to the front lawn due to too many people, and that's when we made the decision to upgrade and look for a new location. Special thanks to Chopper and everyone who supported us!
SECOND LOCATION
7601 D AIRPARK RD | 2400 sq ft | 2011-2014
This location had plenty of room. Like a breath of fresh air, we all had elbow room and more! Each artist had their own private studio room to work out of and a beautiful "Red Room" built like an internal secret theater with special wood ceilings, sound proof walls and even a stage where we started having our first live music performances. This was the first stage for RAW INK, way before we started RAW INK LIVE.
Conveniently the building was already set up for us with smaller rooms down the long hallway, because this space was originally a brothel, strategically placed next door to an adult video liquidator. That was before 2001, of course. When we took over, let's just say it was an upgrade. We replaced every floor and painted every wall. Thanks to the amazing resident artists I had working for me, we made quick work of the buildout and started tattooing.
The new space allowed Bobby to take on the next group of students & apprentices, and RAW INK grew again. We outgrew the location in 3 years time, so we started looking for a larger space where we could still house all of our artists in private studios, as well as hosting more live music performances on a larger scale than we had so far. The goal was to find a space large enough, but still close to the Airpark and still on rt. 124 so our clients and friends could find us easily.
THIRD LOCATION
18630 WOODFIELD RD. | 5000 sq ft | 2014-2022
Well we found a perfect fit! 5000 sq ft and right on rt 124, not even two traffic lights away from the last location. The space was previously flooded and almost beyond repair, but we pulled all our resources together and made it happen. Special thanks to everyone that helped! There are too many names to mention, but they know who they are.
We installed brand new porcelain tile across every inch of floor, all new drywall and a full size stage complete with a sound booth for concerts,, which we called RAW INK LIVE. This was many years of fun. We even had room for an art gallery with a pool table and bar, where we invited local craft breweries for events. Each artist still had a private studio room to tattoo in, and later on, we hosted an amazing recording studio.
This tattoo shop was a destination for almost 10 years until the pandemic occurred and the shutdowns lasted too long to be able to hold such a large space without anyone being allowed to work inside of it. This is when most artists in our area had to resort to tattooing out of their homes, and once the shutdowns stopped, a bunch of new shops opened and many artists relocated or went their own way. The memories of all the fun RAW INK LIVE concerts, events, bike nights, other live performances and the amazing people that helped us along the way will fuel the dreams for the next venture and location.
FOURTH LOCATION
FIRST LOCATION
7676 A AIRPARK RD | 1100 sq ft | 2009-2011
This location was beside a chopper motorcycle shop called "Iron Works" which gave us some unique background noise we all could appreciate. Bingo was the previous renter whose "Garage Boyz Magazine" was a huge supporter of RAW INK. Chopper was the owner of Iron Works and Bobby's first landlord. RAW INK never would have made it without his understanding and support through our growth.
The space needed a complete redesign from its professional office look the magazine had, so we tore up the carpet and stained the cement floors chocolate brown and sprayed black along the edges to make it look like the floor was vignetted or had been through a fire. We added some clean white floor molding, spray-painted tan designs on the white ceiling tiles, hung guitars on the walls, and parked a chopper inside the studio. The walls were a dull mustard yellow with magenta purple velvet full length curtains on the tall brick windows. We were right down the street from our local Harley Davidson dealership which was perfect for shared events, and the fact we all liked riding and tinkering with motors, even the smaller motors that ran our tattoo machines at the time and are relics now. The shop was finished and ready to use.
This shop was also where Bobby mentored his first group of tattoo artists. Friends that he knew had the talent to reach a better quality of life while doing what they loved to do. Lessons were learned on both sides and over a couple years, expansion required more space to house our growing group of artists who were bumping elbows and wanting their own rooms. We had DJs at our events and even those spilled outside to the front lawn due to too many people, and that's when we made the decision to upgrade and look for a new location. Special thanks to Chopper and everyone who supported us!
SECOND LOCATION
7601 D AIRPARK RD | 2400 sq ft | 2011-2014
This location had plenty of room. Like a breath of fresh air, we all had elbow room and more! Each artist had their own private studio room to work out of and a beautiful "Red Room" built like an internal secret theater with special wood ceilings, sound proof walls and even a stage where we started having our first live music performances. This was the first stage for RAW INK, way before we started RAW INK LIVE.
Conveniently the building was already set up for us with smaller rooms down the long hallway, because this space was originally a brothel, strategically placed next door to an adult video liquidator. That was before 2001, of course. When we took over, let's just say it was an upgrade. We replaced every floor and painted every wall. Thanks to the amazing resident artists I had working for me, we made quick work of the buildout and started tattooing.
The new space allowed Bobby to take on the next group of students & apprentices, and RAW INK grew again. We outgrew the location in 3 years time, so we started looking for a larger space where we could still house all of our artists in private studios, as well as hosting more live music performances on a larger scale than we had so far. The goal was to find a space large enough, but still close to the Airpark and still on rt. 124 so our clients and friends could find us easily.
18200 GEORGIA AVE O+N | 2400 sq ft | 2022-PRESENT
Post pandemic offered a fresh look at life and our community. It bred a new vision for RAW INK, and the image became a reality in September 2022. Bobby decided to create a different style tattoo shop than he's ever seen before.
"After spending time at so many tattoo conventions and seeing first hand how some families really connect and appreciate tattooing as memorials or just because they appreciate the art, but they don't hide it from their children, they embrace it. This always stuck with me because I was used to hiding my tattoos." - Bobby Weschler
With this in mind and tattoos having less and less of a criminal association, Bobby partnered with Caroline Baker and decided instead of having a huge tattoo shop for more students and tattoo artists, he wanted a solo artist tattoo shop that is inside an art gallery but not just "inside an art gallery". This had to be an art exhibit by itself, an installation instead of just another room.
So a new art gallery was opened in Olney MD called "the beachKraft" where art supplies and art classes are held for children and adults looking to learn more about their favorite style of art taught by Caroline Baker and other local artists. We host birthday parties as well as reception events for the current exhibiting artists with live music or DJ performances. We offer Paint & Sip nights for adults only, and Friday Night Figure Drawing of models we provide. We exhibit locally made jewelry and wood work, in addition to the fine art on our walls.
RAW INK Tattoo exists inside this art gallery, in a metal airplane built as an art installation that doubles as a room to contain the sterile environment needed for tattooing and piercing, keeping it separate from the rest of the gallery. The airplane is designed to appear as if it has crashed thru the building wall, and exposes what's left of a wing to the plane which has become a beautiful stage for live performances, keeping music alive in RAW INK still. The airplane is modeled after the BeachCraft airplane and symbolizes the vessel that would be used to travel in any voyage much like the voyage of an artist working their way to a final product from a vision in their head. The end product is always beautiful to see but for the artist, it is often more about the chase, the search, the exploring and finding, finally reaching the accomplishment after a long struggle. Staged as a wreck, this installation also shares the feeling of failure which is part of art, but the voyage is to persist. Being a solo artist tattoo shop allows Bobby to put more time into his book illustrations and oil paintings. We welcome everyone to our gallery so whether you are an artist or someone that appreciates art we invite you to visit and experience our creation for yourself!
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