PEABODY –– There’s a new parlor in Peabody. Father and son Freddy Aravena and Eduardo Valentini Jr. opened the City’s newest tattoo shop, Music Plug Inked, on Tuesday, which is fully family-operated.
“We try to make it as much of a family business as possible because you don’t run into tattoo shops like that,” Valentini said.
He added, “They say, ‘It’s a family business,’ but it’s not. It’s just a boss that just hired people. That’s what they call a family business, but this is our for real family business.”
Aravena joked that their real boss is his wife Yenifer Garrido. Valentini laughed, admitting that his mom was, in fact, in charge. His uncle Izzy Garrido is also part of the team and handles booking and management.
“If we need someone working at the front desk like phone calls, my brother, my girlfriend even offered (to work)” Valentini said. “We try to have our family involved as much as possible.”
The father-son duo stressed the importance of being good hosts from the cleanliness and sanitation aspect to the comfortable couches in the reception area. Valentini said they wanted it to feel like “you’re walking into your own home.” He added that they strive “to make it as comfortable for each individual client.”
The shop, located at 30R Main St., is open every day from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and accepts walk-ins. For information on pricing, visit musicpluginked.com/.
Valentini said that Music Plug Inked will “be the first ones to bring in celebrities into Massachusetts, mainly rock stars.” He added, “We want to bring in rappers, rock stars, jazz players, all types of celebrities and musicians.”
Aravena said there are different musicians every month who reach out to him, saying “Hey, Freddy, I need a tattoo.”
One of the most notable musicians Aravena has tattooed is Three Days Grace drummer Neil Sanderson. Aravena mentioned that he let Sanderson tattoo “3DG” on his left arm, adding that that was Sanderson’s first time ever tattooing someone.
“Rock stars are very professional,” Valentini said. “They still have that wild side, but they’re very respectful with each individual human. They treat everyone as equals. He was a very, very good person to come in and get tatted by him. It was so dope.”
Music Plug Inked also offers musicians the option to get tattooed backstage rather than drive to a shop in a city they’ve never been to.
Aravena spoke highly of Candlebox drummer Robin Diaz, who he has also tattooed.
“Him and Robin Diaz are like good friends now –– he called him to say, ‘Happy birthday to my little brother,” Valentini said.
When thinking about why they liked tattooing musicians, Valentini said “the beauty of it” was that “you can actually see your own tattoo live in front of millions.” He said he’s seen his own work on the big screen after tattooing some backup dancers.
“I was like, ‘Oh wait, is that my tattoo? I can see it all the way from here,” Valentini said.
He said being a co-owner at 23-years-old means he “can actually flap my wings and fly and do things I need to do.”
“I can actually put my name out there and be as good as him,” he said, gesturing to his dad.
Aravena has been tattooing for 19 years, and his son for two. Valentini emphasized how integral his dad’s mentorship has been to his success in this field.
“For two years, I feel like I really stepped up a lot,” he said. “I would say I’m pretty fortunate because you don’t really have a tattoo mentor like him. It’s hard. You need to be a certain type of person to get a mentor like that.
“If they see that you’re a good artist and you already know what you’re doing, then those types of people will be your mentors. But in the real tattooing world, you’re probably going to have a mentor who’s been tattooing for five years. I got a veteran as my mentor… He knows what he’s doing with everything.”
