Meet Pete Carreno of Unusual Species in Prescott/Prescott Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Pete Carreno.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started tattooing in West Palm Beach, Florida… out of my house. Now, this is not the safest or best way to start, but I tried to get into tattoo shops for a while and nothing ever panned out for me. On a side note, don’t ever go to someone’s house, or let a tattoo artist come to your house to get a tattoo! It is not a sterile environment and most tattoo artists that make house calls are not experienced in cross-contamination and not reliable artistically. You wouldn’t go to someone’s house if you broke your arm, needed a tooth removed or liposuction right? So, back to me. I was tattooing out of my house for a couple of months when I ran into an old friend that I played in a band with years prior. He ran a record label and a T-shirt printing company that was doing very well. We got to catch up and after letting him know I had just been laid off of my job doing advertising for Nissan and fallen on pretty hard times, that I have been tattooing at my home and looking for a shop to work at. He paused for a moment, then said: “I always wanted to own a tattoo shop.” Then, asked me if I would be interested in opening a shop with him as a co-owner. “Well, fuck yeah!” I replied! So, we opened “Aces High Tattoo Shop” in West Palm Beach, Florida. After a year or so, I developed a very bad cocaine addiction and ended up making the decision to leave Florida because I was on a downward spiral that would have to lead me to jail or death. So, I left my shop, left my fiancé, and left my house for a job offer in New York City. I cleaned up my addiction and tattooed in Staten Island, NYC for two years to the week. But during my time there I met a girl named Jamy, another tattoo artist. We hit it off and started dating. We moved to Franklin, Indiana to open our own shop which we ran for 5 years together very successfully called “The Great American Tattoo Company.” We decided we needed a change as Indiana is very boring and depressing. We decided to move into a little tiny cabin, at 6,300 ft. elevation in Prescott National Forest in Prescott, Arizona. We have since moved into a larger house still in Prescott overlooking Thumb Butte and Downtown Prescott. Jamy and I are now married, we have two dogs named Luna & Sagan, and both work at “Electrik Needle Tattoo” in Prescott Valley, Arizona. We have traveled all over the United States tattooing and have also been over to France and England tattooing along side of the best tattooers in the world. We love our lives and are grateful for everything we have worked for.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My road has been pretty smooth considering I am a high school dropout, substance abuser, and husband! Most of my struggles come from within. To be original as an artist, to be a better husband, and to be an inspiration as a human being.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Unusual Species – what should we know?
I am a tattooer and charcoal fine artist. I specialize and am known for photorealism and mix-style tattoos. Since my wife and I are both tattooers we branded ourselves as “Unusual Species.” The name came from a quote from an evolutionary biologist/atheist Richard Dawkins “We are a very, very unusual species.” We differ from others in ways that we work together not only as tattooers but we actually tattoo clients at the same time together. We collaborate with designing the artwork and collaborate applying the tattoo together. We are also very efficient at our work and can finish large scale work in a fraction of a timeframe that of most tattooers.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, I feel like it is a good place to be a tattoo artist. Arizona has a lot of great tattooers and shops. If someone wanted to be a tattooer here in Arizona I would suggest to find a clean, reliable shop to start at as there are also a lot of dirty, inartistically shops as well. Do your research as a worker and client!

Contact Info:

• Address: Electrik Needle Tattoo
  6330 AZ-69
  Prescott Valley, Arizona 86314
• Phone: 928-775-3261
• Email: carrenobookings@gmail.com
• Instagram: Intstagram.com/petecarreno
• Facebook: Facebook.com/petecarreno666

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