Home may be where the heart is, but clients of Madame Blues House of Tattoos know that home is also where the art lives.
Teresa Heatherington, who comes from an artistic family and has always pursued her artistic passions, opened her own tattoo shop in the basement of her home in Innisfil in October 2023.
“I have always been interested in tattoos and the tattoo culture. I got my first one in 1986, at a time when not a lot of women had them. They are like potato chips — you can't stop at just one,” she said.
Ruth Chowzun is Heatherington’s second cousin; she is the first family member that Heatherington tattooed.
"I really enjoyed going to Madame Blues House of Tattoos to get my tattoo done. I love the shop. It's clean and comfortable with great ambience and background music — (that is) not loud, which is nice,” Chowzun said. “I absolutely love my tattoo. It's beautiful and close to my heart as it's a memorial tattoo for my mom. Teresa is very gentle and the experience was so wonderful, I plan to go back for many more tattoos."
Chowzun told InnisfilToday that she has been to two other tattoo shops, and Heatherington’s home-based shop is the most comfortable.
Heatherington said that in addition to designing the perfect tattoos for her clients, one of her other loves is music — in fact, the shop’s name comes from the lyrics of a Styx song called Suite Madame Blues.
“It is actually about America — personified as Madame Blue — (and) the glory days and the state of that nation at the time,” she said. “It invites listeners to be introspective perhaps about how it has changed.”
Heatherington credits her background as an artist, which includes sculpting, wood burning, and furniture art, for helping her learn the art of tattooing.
“I have been told by other artists that I picked it up very fast. I really do think my art background has helped me enormously as well as my use of many different tools and mediums,” she said.
When asked why she founded her tattoo shop from home, Heatherington explained that she requires some flexibility in her schedule, as she has helped her father run his business since her mother died from brain cancer in 2021.
“I have unusual tastes and the shop is the place where I can have some fun with decor. It came together quickly because I had most of the decor already. Some of my furniture pieces and clay work (that I created) are featured in the shop.”
Heatherington said Madame Blues provides quality aftercare products to clients, the shop is approved by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, and blood pathogen training is up-to-date.
“I take the health and safety of my clients seriously and pride myself on providing a level of safety and service that I would want myself.”
As a resident of Innisfil for about five years, Heatherington said that “I've always loved the idea of living near water, which is a short walk for me, but I'm even more grateful for the wonderful people of this community. Their kindness and support for one another is inspiring.”
After posting about Madame Blues on the Facebook group Alcona Chats on Jan. 7, Heatherington was "overwhelmed" by the response.
"I spent nine hours (that day) answering inquiries and booking consultations and appointments," she said. "I am truly humbled."
Lucy Serrao is one of the people who reached out to Madame Blues upon seeing Heatherington’s post and the quality of her work because she needed help fixing a tattoo that she received at a different shop less than a month before.
When asked whether Madame Blues being a home-based business factored into her decision to contact Heatherington, Serrao said, “Yes, it absolutely did. It’s more personable."
She has already talked to Heatherington about designing a cover-up for one of her other tattoos.
“I won’t go anywhere else," Serrao said.
One day, Heatherington would like to have a number of artists working from her shop, including her eldest of two sons who she describes as an exceptional artist.
“I have tattooed sisters, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, (and a) mother and son. Tattoos bring people together in a united desire to share their history, love and shared importance to one another. It's awesome,” she said.
To learn more about Madame Blues, visit its Facebook page, or contact Teresa Heatherington by email or phone/text at 647-973-1127.
