We last checked in with Amanda Mas in August 2020. After several bad workplace experiences, the tattoo artist had started a private studio.
It was a few months into the pandemic. But she was booked solid for the next 2 months.
Now Amanda has made another move. She just opened Rebel & Rose. It’s at 155 Post Road East, above Field Trip Jerky & Snacks, and across from Design Within Reach.
Rebel & Rose is groundbreaking for several reasons:
- The first tattoo studio in Westport
- The first women-owned and operated tattoo studio in Fairfield County
- The first business to take advantage of new downtown regulations, permitting retail and services above the first floor.
All are noteworthy accomplishments.
This being Westport — and Amanda being a woman who worked for years in a male-dominated industry — Rebel & Rose is not your typical tattoo parlor.
Rebel & Rose’s unique waiting area.
Amanda calls it a “tattoo and beauty” service. She and 2 other women offer tattooing, scar camouflage, piercings, lashes, brow tinting and microblading.
They sell high-quality jewelry, and carry luxury products.
This is not, Amanda notes, “a dark, intimidating place with skulls everywhere. It feels comforting, welcoming — like a nice apartment.” Each of the women — tattoo artist, lash and brow expert Ally Sticca, and piercer Megan Lynn — has a private room.
From left: Amanda Mas, Ally Sticca, Megan Lynn.
When she got tired of working alone, Amanda knew that Westport was the only place to go. “Downtown is a magical place,” she says.
But rents are high. Last year she found what she thought was a perfect spot, over Field Trip Snacks. But zoning regulations prohibited “goods and services” from operating above the first floor.
Several “amazing” people — landlord Peter Gray, 1st-floor tenant Randy Herbertson, Herbertson’s attorney, Planning & Zoning Department director Mary Young, and a few Planning & Zoning Commission members — began pushing for a change.
It took longer than expected. Amanda thought she could open January 1. Approval finally came last month. Last week, Rebel & Rose welcomed its first customers.
They love the welcoming vibe. They appreciate the 3 women’s care and concern. (“We tell them right out front if something not right for them,” Amanda says.)
Tattoo art by Amanda Mas: flowers on an arm.
Not all customers are female. Rebel & Rose welcomes men (and teenagers and children, for piercing).
Amanda looks forward a grand opening in April. In the coming months, she’ll invite guest artists, to offer different styles.
She’s working on a sign too. Though rules have changed to allow 2nd-story retail downtown, signage regulations have not followed suit.
That’s the least of her concerns. “People find us,” she says.
And after walking up the stairs for a tattoo, piercing, or lash or brow treatment, they tell others.
The 2nd story “story” is a great one.
Welcome to town Difference Makers!
Glad to see this story of town officials, landlord & others working to make changes. I’m sure that it’s a time the regulation went in a place it made sense. I don’t have any idea what the reason was back then, but just because something is law doesn’t mean it should stay long. Good job.
Dan needs “06880” inked on a location of your choice! Welcome
Love to see how a small business especially a woman owned and operated one like this can enact real change in the town’s regulations and laws. They are paving the way for more small businesses like theirs to make their mark in downtown Westport. Can’t wait to sit down for my next appointment with Amanda!