Specializing solely in tattoos

After years of working in the body modification business throughout the county, an entrepreneur ready to do it his way set out to open his own tattoo shop.

Keith Winterbottom, owner of Citrus City Tattoo, said finding a location for his shop was hard because it needed to be the right size as he is the only tattoo artist working in it.

Also, finding a landlord who was willing to rent the space for a tattoo shop was difficult as these types of shops generally don't have a good reputation.

Mr. Winterbottom found his ideal location downtown at 178 Broadway where he renovated the small area from floor to ceiling and installed everything brand new with lots of help from his family and friends.

He wanted to work in an environment where the focus would be strictly on tattoos and for that reason he doesn't offer piercings.

Although he has nine years of experience just in the Dufferin area and had done an apprentice at Rising Sun Tattoo in Barrie with Donny Day, Mr.Winterbottom said he's always learning and will continue to when it comes to tattoos.

As a man who has lost track of the number of tattoos he has himself, Mr. Winterbottom offers residents custom work. He designs tattoos and will draw others that customers have designed for themselves or taken from the Internet, which has become a popular place to grab designs from.

"I like to do drawings for people on anything they can imagine, I'll sit down and try and put their ideas on paper," he said.

"It's always nice to change it [trite tattoos] and make it original and customize it."

He's done many of the tattoos on his body himself, including his left arm and both legs.

"You can only reach so far," he said with a smile.

He prefers customized work since it's unique.

"It's one of a kind and not everybody in town will have the same one."

He opened in mid-April and has tattooed over 200 people so far including local heroes such as firefighters and police officers.

Eventually Mr. Winterbottom will be looking to expand his business and hire more body modification artists to provide quality tattoos.

His operating hours vary on a daily basis, although he is generally open at 9 a.m., he could remain open until midnight or close early to go fishing, which is another reason he wanted to own his own shop.