Tattoo shop designed around recovery opens in Manistee

(MANISTEE, Mich.) Clean Lines Tattoo Company LLC in Manistee opened on Father's Day weekend. 

The brains behind this inking operation tell us it was designed to be safe for people who are in recovery. 

"I wanted to create an environment that people could come and get their tattoos or that an artist could work without having to worry about this guy's strung out on meth or this guy's strung out on heroin you know what I mean because that is a really predominant thing in the tattoo industry," said Brandon Mecam, tattoo artist at Clean Lines Tattoo Company LLC. 

Mecam's fiancé Kelly Stoudt and his sister are the co-owners. 

Mecam, his fiancé, and sister are all in recovery. 

He says he's grateful to them for opening this tattoo parlor and says it's been a dream of his since 2015. 

"I came up with the clean lines name like I said I was sitting in a prison cell and I had wanted to make a tattoo shop that was based around recovery," said Mecam. 

Kelly Stoudt, a co-owner and piercer at Clean Lines Tattoo Company LLC says she wanted to create a space where people who are in recovery don't feel uncomfortable. 

"Early in recovery, I was trying to get a sleeve done, in memorial for my daughter and it was really difficult for me to walk into a shop, sit there for a couple hour session and have the artist be noticeably high," said Stoudt. "That was a trigger for me."

Stoudt says the mission of Clean Lines Tattoo Company LLC has already been well received and that the calendar is booked up with appointments through August. 

"Our very first lady, she came in and she got a paw print on her neck and she's a person in long term recovery and she was just excited about the mission or the message that we're trying to display and she was like I just came because you're recovery based," said Stoudt. 

Stoudt and Mecam say that anyone else who works at Clean Lines Tattoo Company will also be in recovery. 

They're currently looking to add another tattoo artist to the staff. 

They also say there is hope for others who are struggling with addiction. 

"It's owned by people that are in recovery and that have a little bit of recovery time so anything's possible," said Stoudt. "If you would have asked me a 11 years ago if I'd be sitting here talking to you, owning a tattoo shop that's based around recovery, I would have never thought that so recovery is possible."

Stoudt says in the future they would also like to be able to hold Multiple Pathway Meetings to help people who want to be in recovery. 

If you would like more information or you would like to book an appointment you can call (231)-655-9548 or visit the Clean Lines Tattoo Company LLC Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Cleanlinestattoocompanyllc.