Editor’s note: Made in Tarrant is an occasional Q&A series on small businesses started in Tarrant County. Submit your business here.
Married couple Rār Farmer and Tracey Johnson opened the Ministry of Regret earlier this year. The shop, located in Near Southside at 129 E. Daggett Ave., serves as a safe space for the queer community to be tattooed by local artists.
The Fort Worth Report spoke with Farmer and Johnson about how the business formed and their goals within the tattoo industry. The story has been edited for length and clarity.
Ismael M. Belkoura: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and how you started Ministry of Regret?
Rār Farmer: I tattooed around — I tattooed in the Stockyards for a while, and on the west side of Fort Worth, but never in my own shop. I used to live in Fairmount years ago, and I really wanted to get back to this area because there’s a huge sense of community here. So many people know each other, there’s so much stuff that’s going on, and I just thought it would be great to be a part of it. That’s why we decided to open a shop here, specifically.
I wanted to open a shop because I tattoo a lot of queer people, I tattoo a lot of trans people, a lot of women. The space is really for them. When you’re an artist, you like to be around stuff that inspires you, so that’s a little bit of it as well, but the main driver really is creating a space that is safe for people.
Belkoura: Your opening was recent, right?
Farmer: We opened in March. We’re brand new, but we’ve been well-received. The community really came out to support us both in getting tattooed and spreading the word about us on social media — and just coming in to say “hi” and welcome us. We love this neighborhood.
Belkoura: Maybe an obvious question, but what’s behind the name?
Farmer: We made a little video about it on Instagram. Probably everyone who’s ever thought about getting a tattoo or is tattooed has heard, “You’re gonna regret that,” from your grandma or your mom or whoever.
One that I got a lot, especially when I was in my 20s — I haven’t heard it in a while — but I do recall lots of people saying, “What are you gonna look like when you’re old? What’s that gonna look like? It’s gonna be all saggy, you’re gonna regret it.” You see a lot of older tattooed people now — seniors — and I think they look amazing. I can’t wait to see what I look like when I’m 70.
Belkoura: You talked a bit about the reason why you wanted to come back. What’s the process been like, opening your own business here in Near Southside?
Farmer: Whenever you take on any sort of endeavor that is going to bring change, it can be super stressful. I’m just an anxious person anyway, so it was a little bit stressful. But there’s so many people here who offer advice and help with different processes. Obviously, my wife is my rock, my person who helps me keep it all together. Overall it was not as hard as what I thought it was going to be.
For me, adapting to being in a different space and having a new set of expectations about what kind of service you’re offering people. When you’re tattooing, it is already stressful, but if you make a mistake, it’s on the shop owner and now it all falls on me. So there was a little bit of that that I had to sort of come to terms with and get over the anxiety about that. Still dealing with imposter syndrome. That’s probably the hardest one.
Belkoura: What would you say makes you stand out compared to other tattoo shops here in Fort Worth?
Farmer: The intimacy of the space. A lot of people have commented on how they feel when they’re here. The aesthetics. We just want people to feel at home. I think that’s the main thing. You go into some tattoo shops — and I’m not knocking any of them, because I think that they’re all great, and I love them all — and there’s six or seven artists and it’s really noisy, it’s hard to interact or feel like you can relax when you’re getting tattooed. We didn’t want it to feel like a spa, but we also wanted it to be someplace where you felt like you could relax and be yourself 100%.
Belkoura: How have you made it into this cozy space? What elements would you point out that say this is different compared to another shop?
Farmer: The fact that it’s the size of a broom closet (laughs). Maybe we’ll have three artists at some point, when there’s a big event, but full time, there’s only going to be two of us here. It’s kind of like a private studio, with a walk-in shop hybrid feel to it.
Tracey Johnson: We’re all over each other here, we’re all in each other’s space. You have to figure out how to be comfortable. But we also tried to let the space be what it originally was. We didn’t add a whole lot to it or a ton of remodeling. We just let it be what it is, all the character.
Belkoura: You mentioned a couple times wanting to be a safe space, specifically you mentioned queer people. What would you say that tangibly looks like for a tattoo shop, and what are the efforts that you say you’ve done to make it this safe space?
Farmer: I’ll start by saying I’ve been in shops where the language has been harmful to people in that community. Not maybe necessarily directly toward a person that was in the space at that time, but the acceptable language used around trans people or women who are feminists — I have worked for people who are loudly anti-feminist, and people who shame bodies in some sort of way. And I don’t like any of that shit.
Johnson: Print that.
Farmer: With sexism or language that would be considered sexual harassment in any other workplace, I’ve been in all of those environments. And I feel like that’s probably one of the strongest things to illustrate why we are different.
Belkoura: What would you say are your goals? What do you envision for the business at maybe the five-year mark or 10-year mark? Is that something you think about?
Farmer: I go back and forth about things like that. I have a tendency to dream. I have a billion ideas.
At this point, I really just want to settle in and focus on my own work and provide a really good service for people. I’m not too concerned about trying to grow or expand, move into a different shop, or have more artists. Obviously that’s something that is in the back of my mind, and I’ve sort of thought about it. But for me, it’s just about getting better at what I do and developing my own style and techniques further.
Johnson: I’m thinking about some conversations we have about this — once you start expanding and getting more artists in this space, you do start to lose that intimate feeling and run the risk of kind of losing our ultimate mission, which is to be a safe space. I don’t think it’s all about expansion, it’s about getting embedded in the community.
Belkoura What would you recommend to people that want to become business owners like you guys have?
Farmer: Whatever community you’re serving, it’s important to partner with different people and have conversations about what you want your neighborhood to look like. We got here, and there was already a lot of momentum that we wanted to be a part of, but if there’s not that momentum, then create it. Figure out a way to do that, and be afraid to fail, but do it anyway, if that’s what you want to do.
Belkoura: You mentioned this earlier about the community embracing y’all and feeling like you’ve been able to move into an area where it’s not additionally hard to be a business owner. What has Near Southside given y’all when it comes to opening and creating this business?
Farmer: Near Southside itself, the nonprofit, Megan Henderson, the president — she’s the reason we are in this space to begin with. I’ve known her for a long time and when we decided that we were going to open a shop, I went to the internet, and told realtors that I’m looking for a space. Megan texted me immediately and was like, “I know the space, I have the space.” That was key, because it just happened. We were talking about it, and then boom, here it is. It’s either jump on it now or don’t.
Everyone here knows who we are. I say it because they genuinely come and introduce themselves, and they remember your name. And they ask you if you need anything. When you’re doing an event and you want to put your flyer up, all you have to do is ask. I feel like we all have the same goal: to create more of what this neighborhood is offering. The people that are here already realized that the way to do that is together.
Johnson: You don’t have to go it alone. As long as you’re meeting the other people that are in the business area that you’re looking to join, or have been in the same industry as you, make friends and ask for advice. Don’t try to do it alone, because that’s not necessary.
Farmer: Start small. Whatever the thing is that you want to do, just focus on that and enjoy it, and give it some space to grow on its own.
Ismael M. Belkoura is the nonprofit editor for the Fort Worth Report. His position is supported by a grant from North Texas Community Foundation. Contact him at ismael.belkoura@fortworthreport.org.
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