Shanghai Tattoo expansion a reflection of couple's love for tattoo and life together in Folsom

A high-end ultra-popular tattoo studio in Folsom recently celebrated the opening of a new, larger location in the historic district. For the couple that owns Shanghai Tattoo, this new beginning is truly a reflection of their passion for both the art of tattoo and the life they share together. "We're excited about this next chapter of our lives and our business," said Josh Thompson, who co-owns Shanghai Tattoo with his wife, Zhuo Dan Ting, famously known as Ms. Ting. With her trademark bright green hair, Ms. Ting is legendary for her artistry, skill and for being a female pioneer in the tattoo world in China. In fact, Ms. Ting was labeled as "China's First Lady of Tattoo" by CNN, a title which stuck due to her extraordinary abilities and the impact she had as a woman tattoo artist in what was once a male-dominated industry. Ms. Ting, who grew up very poor in a rural part of China, would draw on the floor of her small home as a child. Later, she attended art school. In 2003, she opened her first tattoo shop in China and after building a reputation for herself, she then opened Shanghai Tattoo in 2007 in Shanghai, China. Yet, Ms. Ting had wanderlust. It was in 2014 when she had a fateful meeting that would change the course of her life. She met Josh while she was visiting San Francisco. "Fireworks happened. I ended up moving to China for five years," he said. If you're wondering, Josh was heavily tattooed before he met Ms. Ting. "Ting wouldn't have talked to me if I didn't have tattoos," he said with a laugh. "I would have never had a chance." Eventually, the couple had a desire to expand their horizons. Ms. Ting was ready to start a new chapter outside of Shanghai and open a second shop in another part of the world. Josh grew up in Sacramento and had family in Folsom. When they heard about an available space in Folsom's historic district, at 718 Sutter Street in the Gaslight Building, they checked it out. It was perfect. "We just fell in love with it. Just the atmosphere and the vibe. It was a complete flip from Shanghai, China, with 25 million people, to the historic district of Folsom," Josh said. "Cool, chill, but still you have a nightlife. We like the outdoors, there's Lake Natoma. I like to fish. So we have all those aspects. It's all a hop, skip and jump away from the shop and our house." Their Shanghai Tattoo shop quickly became one of the coveted places to get a tattoo, and it wasn't just locals who were clamoring to get a sitting with Ms. Ting. "Ting specializes in authentic hand-brushed Chinese calligraphy, no computer fonts. Not one shop anywhere around here has that to offer," explained Josh. "We actually have clients traveling as far as New York to get Ting's calligraphy tattooed on them." Earlier this year, Josh and Ms. Ting heard about a bigger building that was available: a double-story space at 305 Wool Street. The couple jumped at the opportunity, and the building is now their shop's new sprawling home. Of course, the building has a green theme, in honor of their premier tattoo artist. Shanghai Tattoo features nine tattoo artists, one piercer, with private rooms for tattoos and an open tattoo floor. There is also a small art gallery and space to host special events. "It's a very unique dynamic for a tattoo shop," Josh said. "Especially from what I've been told from some of our clients, it's got a very L.A., San Francisco vibe, which is very cool to have in the historic district of Folsom." For their recent ribbon-cutting ceremony, Josh and Ms. Ting went all out, complete with a Chinese dragon dance to kick off their new chapter. And in the crowd of supporters, taking a slew of pictures and smiling proudly, were Ms. Ting's parents, all the way from China, supporting the couple on their new adventure. There are big plans for the future. Josh said their tattoo shop offers an international presence; they recently brought in a tattoo artist from their Shanghai studio who specializes in Japanese and Chinese tattoo, and they hope to bring in others from various parts of the world. It's an exciting time of growth and evolution, yet it's ultimately a simple story of a couple with a passion for art, tattoo and their life together in Folsom. "It's a very passionate building of life," said Josh. "We met, fell in love, pursued each other's lives, moved forward and we came out here and ended up buying a building together and it's our passion for tattoos, but our passion for our lives and our futures, too. It's very cool."