THE HISTORY OF FLYRITE TATTOO
In 1995, Elio España, a Williamsburg local, took over a small tattoo studio on Metropolitan and Union ave and named it Fly Rite Studios, after the Nat King Cole song “Straighten Up and Fly Right.”
Tattooing in New York City was still outlawed – it wasn’t until 1997 that it became legal to open up a tattoo shop.
Fly Rite Studios became well known as the first legal establishment in Williamsburg, a neighborhood known for its connection to the New York hardcore and punk scene.
Seasoned New Yorkers Bee Cortes, Matthew Payne from Demonspeed and Squid from The Lunachicks were among the first crew.
Many artists came through Fly Rite’s doors — Chops, Kelly Krantz, Steven Huie, Nick Caruso, Kazz, Damion Ross, Dan Trocchio, Mike Drexler, Jarrett DeMartino, Alex McWatt, Matt "Matty NoTimes" Marcus, Charlie Foos, Marina Inoue and Yojiro Harada are just some of the names that joined the roster.
The original Flyrite building ruins
In the spring of 2008, Fly Rite Studios moved two doors down into a spacious storefront at 492 Metropolitan Ave. Two years later, having seniority in the crew, Steven Huie took over ownership of the shop from Elio, renaming it officially to Flyrite Tattoo.
Charlie Foos, Nick Caruso, Marina Inoue, Elio España, Mike Drexler, Alex McWatt, Matt Marcus (kneeling) and Steven Huie in a 2008 magazine feature of Flyrite Tattoo.
The official lineup today is Steven Huie, Mike Lucena, Gill Gold, Renan Cavalcante, Damion Ross, Zach Bonime, Ben Hua Yu, and Andrew Mann—down-to-earth people with their hearts in New York. We all love great tattoos and art, but it’s building relationships and perfecting our craft without egos or negativity that really gets it done.
30 years in and we’re still going strong. come for the stories, the people and the tattoos; leave with a piece of brooklyn’s history.
· OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK · 1-9PM · WALK-INS WELCOME
· OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK · 1-9PM · WALK-INS WELCOME
