Sacred Heart Tattoo was opened May 1, 1993 at 3734 West 10th and Alma in Vancouver’s Point Grey/Kitsilano neighborhood. Within a few years the ownership had changed twice from Adam Sky to Glen and on to the present owners in early 1997. Greta Pauls and Dave Green bought Sacred Heart Tattoo studio in Kitsilano after several months of taking care of the body piercing out of the studio.
The studio had been home to some of Vancouver’s most notorious tattooers and was at that time fully staffed with several amazing artists and people. Chad Woodley, Shawn Hedley, Mikel Johnson, and soon to follow Steve Moore and Craig Driscoll. With Greta and Dave this motley crew carved out a strong reputation putting out great and consistent work over the next several years.
After a time it was noticed that the size of the family was fast growing and there was a need in Vancouver’s West End community for a tattoo and piercing studio. In December 1999 the location 1685 Davie Street at BIdwell was opened. Chad, Mikel, Shoko Sonoda, and Dave Green made up the new crew there. Shawn Hedley, Steve Moore, and Steve Cole with Adam Sky returning soon after, made up the Kitsilano crew.
Greta and Dave owned a body piercing studio downtown at the Underground Clothing store, Granville and Robson, at this time and in 2000 it became evident that this location would need to relocate. On June 24, 2001 the newest studio at 725 Nelson Street at Granville opened followed by the closing of the studio at the Underground. The new studio housed the same style as the other two locations offering both custom tattoo design and body piercing.
The following years, as the studios settled and grew, many of the OG crew moved on to new studios, many going to their own private appointment studios. Many of the people who came in to fill those chairs came with strong talent and personality. Since 2004 we have seen several staff changes that included a few degenerate mistakes, a few gypsy transients, and more often than not some really great people. To name a few in no particular order (and i will miss some in this list): Chris Van Ruskenveld, Mark Ainsworth, Andy Warren, Trish Bevz, James Akrow, NIck Wasko, Geoff Mccann, Pat Berube, Shoko Sonoda, Lacey McVeen, Paul Peddie, Jessy Albert Jr, Chris Johne, Jesse Dicey, Trevor Shea, Steve “The Breadman” Cole.. the list goes on for sure and I wish I could remember them all…
In late 2010 after many personal and professional changes Greta and Dave made the decision to downsize the company to a manageable size. Both the Davie Street and Kitsilano studios, although still very viable locations, had become more than we felt we could manage. The Davie Street shop became Portside Tattoo Collective until September 2012 – when the studio was closed permanently. The Kitsilano location will no longer be a tattoo studio. Instead the studio is now the new Skull Skates location.
We continue on as usual putting out great custom work everyday. Our tattoo studio is located at 25 West 6th (between Ontario and Manitoba – 2 blocks west of Main Street). The new studio has lots of parking and is accessible from two skytrain stations and is a five minute ride from downtown. We are excited to have moved into a larger, brighter and quieter space.
Check out the portfolios to see the work we do, our Instagram feeds for daily work, Twitter, and Facebook to see whats going on at the shop.
Over the years we have had the pleasure and fortune to work with some incredible people both personally and professionally – as well as certain miscreants we would rather forget. All those years will be remembered fondly and all the work, drive, and dedication to simply do the best work possible will always be an inspiration , now and in the years to come.
