'I practised on grapefruits and bananas!' Tattoo studio celebrates 15 years in business after humble beginnings

Double K Tattoos, run by Neil and Pam Murray, has become a mainstay in Newport, offering everything from intricate realism and dark art designs to delicate names, flowers, and birds. 

But it all began with one bad back tattoo and a birthday challenge.

"It’s her fault," Neil laughed, pointing to Pam. "I didn’t think I’d make it 15 years when I started.

"We pretty much gambled everything we have got on this place 15 years ago."

The idea for the shop was born after Neil repeatedly mocked a large fairy tattoo on Pam’s back.

She said: "Neil is completely self-taught. He has always been very artistic since he was a little boy, and used to do graffiti. He always says that he prefers skin to paper.

"On the whole of my back is a big fairy. It’s a bit dodgy! Neil used to look at it and take the mickey. So for his birthday I thought right, I’ll buy him a tattoo machine and see how he goes. 

"I gave it to him and he said ‘oh, what am I going to do with this?’. But I said 'put your money where your mouth is'."

And so Neil, with a background in graffiti and art, started practising the only way he could - on fruit.

"I practised on grapefruits, bananas - anything that doesn’t move or scream," he said.

"It was the best-looking fruit bowl!" Pam added.

Since then, Neil has gone on to build a reputation for his skill in realism and dark arts, regularly inking skulls, horror pieces, and detailed portraits.

And while Pam is as equally important in running the business, she leaves the tattooing to Neil.

"I tattooed Neil once and he said he would never let me loose on a client," she laughed.

To mark the 15-year milestone this week, Double K Tattoos has been giving away £20 vouchers to customers and is planning a Christmas raffle.

Pam said: "We are both over the moon and really proud. It is difficult times at the moment with lots of high street shutting, so we are really proud."

The studio has also raised thousands of pounds over the years for veterans' charities including Combat Stress and more recently Blind Veterans UK.

"We started raising funds for Combat Stress who were based in Newport because a lot of people there used us, so we wanted to give something back," Pam continued. 

"Then they sadly shut here, so we moved on to Blind Veterans. One of our clients is a veteran who is completely blind, and another veteran is going blind. 

"It is a charity that doesn't get heard about a lot so we want to raise money for them."

As for what the future holds, Neil is keeping things open - but realistic.

"I don’t know if I have got another 15 years in me," he said with a smile, "but I’ll give it a go!"