it’s Amanda & Kelly

it’s Amanda & Kelly… these two are the real deal!! When you combine a passion for art, really clever business minds, the courage to take an educated risk & a genuine love of our community with the goal of giving back… awesome things happen!!

With reputation being everything in business, both Amanda the boss at ‘Laser Tat’ & Kelly the main man at ‘Black Diamond Tattoo’ have truly intrenched themselves within our community as a couple of the big players, doing big things.

When their names kept getting dropped around the place for how incredible they are at their crafts & their contribution to our community… itsPortAdelaide just had to catch up & get to know ‘em better… & wait til you hear about their initiative that raised over 20 thousand dollars for a worthy cause… it’s just incredible!!!

Both Amanda & Kelly are not only business parters, they are also married & lifelong locals… going way back to when they where kids.

Kelly lets us know, “I’ve always been a local, I have grown-up in the area, my Dad lives on Mead Street. Mum & Dad separated and I lived with my Mum in Taperoo, Rosewater & then at Queenstown, I’ve always been in the area. I went to Le Fevre Primary School & Le Fevre High School. Straight out of high school I was a Mechanical Engineer… mainly a fitter and turner sort of trade & I did that for 11 years. Growing up in Queenstown, I was just around the corner from ‘Marty’s Tattoo Studio’. I had older friends that would always be getting tattoos & that sort of stuff and I was always interested in drawing them… also my background was mainly with graffiti as a kid & I did that for quite a few years. Then a friend of mine ‘Dave Driscoll’ opened up a Tattoo shop in Port Adelaide.”

The way things worked out Kelly got his shot at becoming a Tattoo artist, he explains, “I was on long service leave from the engineering job, so I just spent my whole 10 weeks of long service leave at a tattoo studio just helping out, drawing designs, setting up benches, all that sort of stuff to try & get my foot in the door… after my 10 weeks leave, I went back to the engineering job. Then Dave gave me a call & said ‘okay do you want to give it a go?’ So that's how I started to become a tattoo artist. I was an apprentice under Dave for about 9 months & then he had a car accident & unfortunately died. The shop then had a bit of a pause, but given I was an apprentice I wanted to keep tattooing. I was hungry to be a tattoo artist & also wanted to help out his family & keep the shop running because that was their only source of income. In the end, I ended up being Manager within only a few months of coming out of my apprenticeship & went on to manage the shop for 9 years.

Amanda’s also born & bred on the Peninsula too, she fills us in, “I grew up here too. There is 9 years difference between the two of us, so I didn’t know Kelly at school. I went to North Haven Primary & a private high school then Mum & Dad retired over at Port Hughes & we (Amanda & Kelly) have actually bought our family home, so I'm still in the same house at North Haven that I grew up in. My kids are now going to North Haven school, some of the same teachers that taught me are still there. Growing up & in high school I did a lot of art and multimedia, I also got into a bit of graphic design. Then after leaving high school I went into corporate roles after that & I always sort of wanted to have my own business & do my own thing. During that time through mutual friends Kelly & I met & he was very much into art as well & we also connected through motor sport… we were both in to cars at that stage. Kelly was doing drifting and I think I had a WRX at the time. Then the opportunity came up at one point I think we got an email asking would your business like to buy a laser tattoo removal laser & there wasn't a lot of that in Adelaide at that stage & I thought maybe I could pursue it, so I did… we bought our first laser. We had obviously a lot of guinea pigs being at the tattoo shop & I had the idea that I would be mobile because it was a very movable machine but then I quickly learned in business what works & what doesn’t. I then got introduced to (Jim The Snip) & he offered me a room up in his business in the Port rent free because he wanted to see young people getting started in business & I was like… I couldn't believe it. It was an amazing opportunity & not only that, I think I stayed there for about two years & established the business. As soon as I started earning money, I was paying rent, much to Jim’s disgust! I just wanted to give back & he was an amazing mentor as well… in regards to Port Adelaide, his values & beliefs… yeah, that was a really nice time for me starting out.”

When it comes to street cred, Kelly lets us know how being a local with a great reputation for his craft on the Peninsula & being a good bloke, certainly doesn’t hurt business. “Having grown up in the area you just get to know many people & as soon as people start talking about tattoos, your name just gets brought up. I’ve been tattooing since early 2006 so nearly 14 years now just in Port Adelaide… I’ve not been anywhere else… I’ve grown up in the area. So I wanted the shop name to reflect that… Black Diamond Corner sort of died down a little bit & you didn’t hear too much about it, there’s still the Black Diamond Gallery & I think there’s still Black Diamond Auto Repair maybe, but there used to be quite a lot of businesses with that name, there was a taxi service a money exchange & a heap more. Black Diamond is a really nice name so we wanted to add that into our business name.  

Amanda adds “I guess we had both been established in Port Adelaide & we did see so much potential, there was starting to be a few businesses moving in & I think it's nice where you can walk down the street and say hello to all the shop owners & have a drink after work down the road with them. The area certainly has grown & it makes me hungry to want to change those perceptions of a tattoo studio… that was part of the vision & setting up the shop together & also having a space where artist can come in & exhibit & the public can actually come in & see a beautiful space. It's clean, it's inviting, everyone is friendly, there's no screaming metal music getting rammed down your throat, there's no rough kind of people in here. Everyone's very welcoming, so we got involved every year with Sala & Fringe Festivals & I don't think there's been a year we haven't done a Sala or Fringe since we opened & the public in the community just love it now. They come in & say, I’ve never walked into a tattoo studio before but this is beautiful, I didn't think it would look like this & we always welcome them in… & then they might see someone doing tattooing & ask is it alright if I have a look, I’ve never seen one get done. It's starting to change that thought process where they felt like they wouldn't even want to enter, now they know they can walk in, that will certainly also help to bring the tattoo community together. We invite guess artists to come & work here but when we hold events we always open that to other tattoo studios & other artist, we’ve held a number of events all across SA & interstate who participate.

We did the ‘Deck Heads’ project where the artists painted skateboards, there was 70 artist across SA & a few interstate artists, so you know it's also breaking that barrier that we are not competition, we’re friends & we are actually a community as well. It’s not about competition, you maybe doing your own thing but we can also come together & raise money for a great cause… The Deck Heads was one of the greatest.

An awesome initiative by Amanda & Kelly really showed what kind of go-getters these two are & how their hearts are in the right place, Amanda explains, “We wanted to bring the tattoo community together but also do something that gave back to the community. We talked with our artist in-house plus our own views as to what would be the best charity that really connects to everyone & at that point it was mental health & I think the biggest one is Beyond Blue so we decided that would be for charity. I sent an email out to probably about 50 tattoo artists at that point saying this is what we are raising money for, tattoo artist are very busy working on designs etc, so I’m thinking we might get 20 artists & that would be a great exhibition. Every single one of them said ‘yes’ & then from that point on I just had artist after artist saying can I do one… & I’m not going to say no. We ended up raising over $20,000 for Beyond Blue… & I mean we sort of aimed for about 7 or 8 thousand. I just couldn't believe the reach & it was not only the reach within the tattoo community but also people walking in off the street. I think that opened a lot of doors for discussions not only with in our community but within the extended community as well. We all know someone or ourselves that potentially suffer from this & to be able to show people especially with in the tattoo game, that they are not too hard to talk about their feelings.”

The Tattoo game has changed & how giving the client the best outcome is the priority, Kelly explains, “each tattoo artist has their own specific style that client like & if we don't have an artist here that does the specific style that a client comes in for, then we refer them to another tattoo artist, it's a lot more friendly environment, all the shops work together now.”

Amanda adds, “we would rather see good tattoos get done & not just anyone walk in & get a tattoo… its about quality & a lot of the shops are heading that way where you know that it's not about taking everyone's money, it's about doing the best tattoo for that client.”

Staying true to their word, they both continue to create initiatives & programs that give back, Amanda fills us in, “We are looking to introduce a program to help people access laser tattoo removal that would not normally be able to afford it. These are people in extreme situations and offering tattoo removal will help them heal, rehabilitate back into society and offer a fresh start at life. I can’t give too much away yet, but we will be launching the program within the next couple of weeks. It’s always been a passion of mine from the beginning to be able to give back in this way with the laser.

Our strong community works together to see everyone succeed & Kelly lets us know how having other local business friends really makes a difference, “when we started Black Diamond Tattoos was the same time that Pirate Life Brewingcame to Adelaide & there was a Sala event happening, our first Sala. We put the feelers out to try & get some wine or beer because when you go to an art exhibition, it’s nice to give someone a complimentary drink as they walk in the door. So we met up with the guys from Pirate Life & told them what we were doing & said would you get on board & supply some beer? They are like for sure!! No worries… we’ve got tattoos & probably want to get some more, so well that was the very early days of Pirate Life and ever since, whenever we have got an event they are on board. They're actually really good as well… they have great business minds… they are really switched on guys with what they are doing & it's always nice for them to come in & to tattoo them & have a chat with all the things that Pirate Life have got going on & all the reasoning behind their decisions.

So with Kelly putting the tattoos on & Amanda removing them, with a bit of hesitation, we just had to ask the obvious question… Do you two have the perfect business model, or what? Amanda with a smile adds, “the dynamics of Kelly doing tattoos & me taking them off… works really well, so it can just be about someone changing their mind, it might be about an old ex’s name or a misguided footy trip dare…. A lot of my work is about fading to then cover up with a new tattoo that Kelly or another artist does.

Both Amanda & Kelly are lovin’ the way our community is heading & are exciting about the endless opportunities moving forward. Amanda shares her hope for our Port, “for me it’s about that connectivity between the community that is here, it’s great to see it grow but it’s also great to see that connectivity flourish & enjoy both side of it… watching it grow. We are so into our social media, phones & being so disconnected, but I think that Port Adelaide has a way of really connecting people, you wouldn’t want to lose that. I think by continuing to do certain things with the community that will continue to stay & grow.”

Kelly adds, “my dad has always lived in the Port Adelaide area… he was a bouncer at the Largs Pier back in the Cold Chisel days & when I just turned 18, pubs would be packed with people everywhere. Then it really kind of died off, to the point that the pubs really struggled to stay open. I guess it was the closure of the wharfs & all that those businesses. I think Port Adelaide can move forward with a new group of people & be a destination for not only people that live here but to have attractions that can get people down here for the day, you could get on a walking trail, pop into a few things & it’s something to talk about. It’s a unique place & it would be great to see it up & going again. With the vacant land having new people move into it, the change is happening & it’s so good to see. If we can all continue to put events on & get people to see what a great place it is.

To find out more & to support these two thriving businesses & to stay in the loop jump on over & check out Amanda at LaserTat - Tattoo Removal Adelaide & Kelly at Black Diamond Tattoo Port Adelaide 

Love ya work Amanda & Kelly… Your passion for the local people & the way you’re bringing the community along on the ride of your thriving businesses, is just awesome… can’t wait to see what you’ve got around the corner for all of us! — at Black Diamond Tattoo Port Adelaide.