Tracker Pixel for Entry

​ADDICTIONS CELEBRATES 20 YEARS IN BUSINESS

Culture | April 14th, 2016

Twenty years ago, the tattoo culture was very different. Tattoos were still considered taboo by many and getting one in Fargo was difficult for some.

Denver tattoo artists Barbara Sutton and Stephanie Mont, who had lived in Fargo for a few years, were talking about opening a new shop in Colorado when a Fargo client of Sutton’s told her about the situation in Fargo. With more colleges than tattoo parlors, the city was a prime location for business.

Addictions Tattoo & Piercing opened in March, 1996, and began as a small one room shop at South Plaza on University Avenue. Mont ran the store while Sutton stayed in Colorado. “It was just me for about the first year and a half and then I took Trent on as an apprentice,” Mont says.

Trent Balvitsch, who was working as a bartender at the time, met Mont through mutual friends.

“He came and showed Barb his portfolio when she was in town one time and that was the beginning,”Mont says. Following his apprenticeship, Balvitsch became an artist at the shop. When Mont moved back to Colorado in 1999, Barbara Sutton’s nephew Brian Sutton took over her spot as an artist.

Balvitsch and Brian Sutton ran the shop for a few years, eventually taking over a larger space at South Plaza to account for the growth in customers.

It was Balvitsch’s dream to own his own business by the time he turned 30 and he accomplished this goal the very month he hit that three‐decade mark when he and Brian Sutton bought the shop from Barbara Sutton on October 1, 2002. “I made it by a hair,” Balvitsch says.

Brian Sutton moved to Boise, Idaho, where a second Addictions shop was opened in the late 2000s. However, the loose tattoo regulations made business hard to come by since people were able to get tattoos from people at home or at tattoo parties. After a few years, they called it quits on the second store.

“Unfortunately, the economy out in Idaho wasn’t that great at the time,” Balvitsch says. “Maybe it was just a bad timing thing.” While Boise’s economy was hit hard, with many flooding to western North Dakota for work, Fargo was thriving and so were tattoo parlors.

Shops were popping up all over Fargo‐Moorhead and have grown from only a couple when Addictions first opened to more than 10 today with a new one opening up every year or two. The taboo surrounding tattoos was growing thin.

Balvitsch contributes this to the success of reality TV shows, such as “Inked” and “Miami Ink.”

“When those TV shows came out there was a big spike of popularity,” Balvitsch says. “Tattoos, rock ’n’ roll, hotrods, motorcycles have always been around but seeing those TV shows gave it a big shot of adrenaline.”

These days you can see all walks of life getting tattoos. This popularity has allowed Balvitsch to see the tattoo culture cross generations in his almost 20 years as an artist.

“I’ve tattooed people when I first got going, I’ve tattooed their children and now, even some grandkids are getting interested.”

While TV has contributed to the success of Addictions, so too has Laura Sefkow who took over as co‐owner in Brian Sutton’s absence. She’s been an integral part of the business since joining in 2005.

“She’s the one that’s been holding it all together while I’m concentrating more on the tattoo part of it,” Balvitsch says. “She’s really been a big part of our business surviving as long as it has.”

The shop has now reached 20 years of being in business and is throwing a party as a special thank you to the Fargo‐Moorhead community and to all the clients who have helped keep the shop going over the years.

The party will be held at Mick’s Office in Moorhead on Saturday and promises a night of bar games, prizes (including coupons for tattoos and piercings), free drinks and a performance from Magic Josh.

“To be able to have the support of all of our families and all of our clients to keep this placing going for 20 years, that’s something to be pretty proud of,” Balvitsch says.

IF YOU GO

Addictions 20th Anniversary Party

Saturday, April 16, 7 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Mick’s Office, 10 Eighth St. S., Moorhead

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comDairy Queen restaurants across the country will raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals during Miracle Treat Day on Thursday, July 31. At least one dollar from every Blizzard…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comFM Pride Week returns to the Fargo-Moorhead metro August 3-10. A snapshot of events are listed below. Discover event descriptions and locations as well as volunteer opportunities online at…

Monday, August 11Fargo Theatre, 314 N. Broadway, Fargo “Saw The Musical” premiered Off-Broadway in the Fall of 2023, parodying the events of the first “Saw” film. It has been described as “a love story with fluidity (and…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com On July fourth, Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest took place at Coney Island. The winners, Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, reigned victorious. Chestnut earned his 17th title by…

By Ed Raymondfargogadly@gmail.comNotes about terror, tyranny, torture, freedom, laws, lies, and truthWhen Vice President Mike Pence needed an answer to a question about the 2020 presidential election that might end American…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gion and Simone Wairickgion@gmail.com The Red River Market returned to downtown Fargo on Saturday, July 12. The event will take place every Saturday except July 19. (That date will be moved to Sunday, July 20, due to the…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Cinephiles and fans of classic midcentury Hollywood biography will find much to appreciate in Mariska Hargitay’s insightful documentary “My Mom Jayne.” As protagonist Olivia Benson on…

Press ReleaseTouchmark at Harwood Groves will host a special artist reception featuring renowned glass artist Jon Offutt on Tuesday, July 29, at 2:00 p.m. in the community’s auditorium. The event celebrates Offutt’s temporary…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comPhoto by Yvonne Denault There is something intimate and personal about plays. Even in our age of multimillion dollar Hollywood productions and droves of streaming services, watching actors…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comCaregivers for school-aged children and teenagers are encouraged to bring them to back-to-school immunization clinics scheduled for every Tuesday in August. Fargo Cass Public Health (FCPH)…

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.com Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very…