Uptown's Tattoo Factory Marks 50 Years in Business, One of Chicago's Oldest Ink Shops

The Tattoo Factory has been inking arms, backs and ribcages from the same stretch of Uptown since 1976, and owner Paul Collurafici is marking the shop's 50th year with a string of discounts and giveaways running through the rest of 2026.

The parlor at 4441 N. Broadway opened across the street from its current spot half a century ago, founded by Collurafici's older brother, Pete, under the name Pete's Tattoo Studio. Paul Collurafici worked there while also holding down a job as a building engineer, and he took over the shop full-time after Pete died in a motorcycle accident in 1996.

"I came here after the funeral, and I just couldn't leave," Collurafici said.

He has now run the Tattoo Factory longer than his brother did, and photos of Pete still hang in his office. The shop is considered the second-oldest tattoo parlor in Chicago, behind Chicago Tattooing & Piercing Co. in Lakeview, which opened in 1973 and is regarded as the oldest in the city and state.

Uptown around the shop has changed over five decades, as new development has replaced older buildings near Broadway. The tattoo industry has changed too. Collurafici has watched trends come and go, and sometimes come back. Tribal designs, Chinese characters, infinity signs and small gun tattoos on the ribcage (a trend he traces to a Rihanna tattoo) have all had their moment at the shop. Dolphin tattoos were once so popular that the studio kept dolphin jewelry in stock before demand vanished almost overnight.

"There was a time people were getting dolphin tattoos, they wanted dolphins jewelry. You couldn't have enough dolphins in stock. And then one day, nobody wanted a dolphin," Collurafici said.

Lower back tattoos, a signature look of the early 2000s, still show up occasionally too. "But we just did one the other day," he said. These days, Collurafici said, custom fine-line work is the most requested style, though he expects that to shift eventually like everything else.

To keep pace with how people get tattooed now, Collurafici opened Drink & Ink, a tavern next door to the parlor. He believes it's the only tattoo shop in Chicago with an adjoining bar. Collurafici said getting inked has become a social outing for a lot of his customers, not just a solitary decision.

"Tattooing has changed a lot over the years, and we just do our best to change with them," Collurafici said.

Business hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic. Collurafici estimates the shop is running at about 80 percent of its pre-COVID clientele, and rising costs for basic supplies like gloves and paper towels have pushed up prices for customers. He said he tries to keep the experience low-pressure and affordable where he can, running the Tattoo Factory primarily as a walk-in operation and crediting his artists as the main reason clients keep coming back.

"People need to realize that tattooing should be fun," Collurafici said. "There's things that you have no choice to pay. You have to pay rent. You have to put gas in your car. You don't have to buy a tattoo. So, if you're going to take your hard-earned money, come all the way down here and spend your money, people should have fun here."

The anniversary celebration includes a weekly Hump Day Happy Hour, with tattoos discounted 15 percent between 5 p.m. and midnight every Wednesday and a free drink at Drink & Ink for tattoo customers. The shop is also running regular giveaways for concerts through Live Nation Chicago and for Riot Fest tickets.

The biggest push lands July 17, National Tattoo Day, when the shop plans 15 percent off tattoos, a free drink for clients 21 and older at Drink & Ink, a $20 gift certificate for anyone who gets a tattoo or piercing, and a $70 "get what you get" flash tattoo pulled from a gumball machine. Customers that day are automatically entered into a drawing for a $50 gift certificate and concert tickets courtesy of Live Nation Chicago and Riot Fest.

Collurafici said he plans to keep the promotions going throughout the year rather than limit the celebration to a single event. The anniversary specials continue week to week, with the next scheduled event set for July 17.