On May 18th Tracy Perkins and Tim Williams the directors of Pierce Artist set off on an exploratory weekend to New York to visit some old clients, make some new friends and check out the New York Tattoo and Piercing Convention. First stop was Grenwich village to visit the thriving piercing community and to see what New York's finest thought about the Pierce Artist brand of signature body piercing instruments. So along with our European Distributor Tony Crane of Barber of Sheffield, we set off along West 4th Street in Grenwich Village to visit the Mecca of New York Body Piercing and home to some of New York's hottest piercers.

Greenwich Village is generally known as an important landmark on the map of bohemian culture. The neighborhood is known for its colorful, artistic residents and the alternative culture they propagate. Due in part to the progressive attitudes of many of its residents, the Village has traditionally been a focal point of new movements and ideas, whether political, artistic, or cultural. Dozens of other cultural and popular icons got their start in the Village's nightclub, theater, and coffeehouse scene during the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s, notably Jimi Hendrix, Simon and Garfunkel, Joan Baez and Nina Simone. In recent days, the Village has maintained its role as a center for movements which have challenged the wider American culture: