From East Village to Scarsdale: Why Killer Silver Tattoo Moved in 2021
In March 2021, Killer Silver Tattoo Studio moved from the East Village to Scarsdale, NY. After three years at 172 Avenue B in Manhattan, the studio has reopened at 34 Garth Road, steps from the Scarsdale Metro-North station. The pandemic made the move necessary: business never came back after the shutdown, parking disappeared and the rent kept climbing.
Three Years on Avenue B
Since 2018, Killer Silver Tattoo has shared 172 Avenue B with Caesar Tattoo, the private studio Caesar has run in the East Village since 2008. Sharing one space kept costs down.
The address had one weakness, though. It had no storefront. For Caesar Tattoo’s quiet, all-day sessions, that was ideal. For a studio that depends on new clients finding it, it meant a constant uphill climb.
Read how Killer Silver Tattoo opened on Avenue B in 2018.
2020: The Year the East Village Went Quiet
Then COVID-19 hit. In March 2020, the shutdown forced the studio to close. Tattooing is close-contact work, so there was no working from home and no takeout version of a tattoo. Opening without permission meant risking penalties from the authorities.
No notice ever reached the studio that it could reopen. No email, no letter, nothing from the city. So the doors stayed shut until October 2020, when museums and stadiums were opening again.
Reopening didn’t bring the business back, either. It picked up closer to a flat line than to where it had left off. Month after month, income didn’t cover the rent. The rent was due anyway, and the landlord’s position was simple: pay it.
Why Killer Silver Tattoo Left the East Village
No single problem forced the move. Instead, six of them landed at once:
- Clients changed how they spent. Buying habits shifted after the shutdown, and they haven’t shifted back.
- Parking disappeared. To help restaurants survive, New York City let them turn curbside parking spaces into outdoor dining. Almost every small restaurant around the block did. Across the city, roughly 8,550 parking spaces went to outdoor seating. For clients, finding a spot became a nightmare.
- Rent kept rising, but spending power didn’t. The gap grew wider every month.
- People were still afraid. Even after reopening, fear of the virus kept many clients away from close-contact services.
- Caesar had been commuting since day one. He lives in Westchester County, and since opening Killer Silver Tattoo in 2018, he drove into the city six days a week. After the shutdown, that commute no longer made sense.
- The streets around the park stayed barricaded. The studio sits right across from Tompkins Square Park, and police barricades still closed the side streets around it to car traffic. Only the avenues stayed open, which made the block even harder to reach.
Put together, the math was clear. Staying meant paying more and more for a location that no longer worked for the business.
East Village to Scarsdale: Finding 34 Garth Road
At the start of 2021, Caesar began looking at storefronts in Westchester. Many local businesses hadn’t survived the year before. On Garth Road in Scarsdale, nearly half the stores on the block stand empty. For once, he could pick and choose.
One of them was a vacant gym. Caesar called the number on the window, and after a few days of negotiating, he and the landlord agreed on a two-year trial lease starting in March 2021.
It is a risky time to sign any lease, let alone one for a tattoo studio. Still, the move from the East Village to Scarsdale gives the business something the city no longer could: room to grow.
Grand Opening in Scarsdale
A little renovation turned the old gym into a tattoo studio. Caesar brought the signs from Avenue B and rebuilt the look and feel of the original shop, so it still feels like Killer Silver Tattoo the moment you walk in.
In March 2021, Killer Silver Tattoo opened its doors on Garth Road. This time, the studio has a real storefront that people can see from the street. See more photos of the finished space on the Killer Silver Tattoo Contact page.
A New Crowd, A New Strategy
The name, the signs and the idea all came along. The clientele didn’t. Killer Silver Tattoo is starting almost from scratch, with a local crowd that has never heard of it.
Westchester has slightly less competition than the city, but the bigger difference is the people. City clients are needy and entitled. They aren’t loyal, and with 200 other shops a short ride away, they can always find the same quality with less effort. In Scarsdale, Caesar has hardly met that attitude.
Many locals were surprised that this bougie little village allowed a tattoo shop on Garth Road. Even so, they welcomed the studio with a smile. More than one neighbor told Caesar it was just about time for the village to evolve.
What Comes Next
Winning over a new audience takes a new marketing strategy, and building one is the first job on Garth Road. The plan is simple: introduce the studio to its neighbors, earn their trust one tattoo at a time, and give Scarsdale a reason to walk in.
Getting here is easy. The studio is steps from the Scarsdale stop on the Metro-North Harlem Line, about 40 to 45 minutes from Grand Central. Meet the artists, browse the tattoo gallery, or read the full Killer Silver Tattoo story.
Every black and gray piece uses Killer Silver Ink, independently certified by an accredited German lab since 2013.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Killer Silver Tattoo move to Scarsdale?
In March 2021. Killer Silver Tattoo Studio moved from the East Village in Manhattan to 34 Garth Rd in Scarsdale, NY, and opened to the public that same month.
Where was Killer Silver Tattoo located before Scarsdale?
At 172 Avenue B in Manhattan’s East Village, from 2018 until March 2021. The studio shared that address with Caesar Tattoo, which had been there since 2008.
Why did Killer Silver Tattoo leave the East Village?
The pandemic. After the 2020 shutdown, business never fully returned, outdoor dining and police barricades took over the nearby streets and parking, rent kept rising, and many clients still avoided close-contact services. Scarsdale offered a fresh start closer to home.
Does Killer Silver Tattoo still have a location in New York City?
No. The only location is 34 Garth Rd in Scarsdale, NY, steps from the Scarsdale stop on the Metro-North Harlem Line, about 40 to 45 minutes from Grand Central.
Are Killer Silver Tattoo and Caesar Tattoo the same studio?
No. They are separate studios, both founded by Caesar, that share the Scarsdale location. Caesar Tattoo is dedicated to his large-scale black and gray sessions of five hours or more, while Killer Silver Tattoo Studio serves every other style and size.
Conclusion
Leaving the East Village was never the plan. The pandemic made it the only sensible choice. The move from the East Village to Scarsdale closes one chapter, and Garth Road is where the next one starts.
Visit the Studio
Come see the new space for yourself at 34 Garth Rd in Scarsdale, NY. Check the Contact page for current hours, directions and parking before you head over.
“New address. Same signs. Same standard.”