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.
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.