Owner of Royal Prevail Tattoo — Yellow Springs’ newest tattoo parlor, located where Gailz Tattooz was previously sited, at 115 Glen Street — Dustie Pitstick has already made his mark on a number of clients since opening his shop. Here, he worked on a black-and-white rose on Jacquelyne Postiy’s hand. (Photo by Reilly Dixon)
Royal Prevail brings fresh ink to Yellow Springs
- Published: April 10, 2024
A new tattoo parlor in Yellow Springs has fired up its guns.
Royal Prevail Tattoo — a sister shop to one of the same name in Fairborn — officially opened last week and is taking new clients. Its owner, Dustie Pitstick, couldn’t be happier.
“This is the life,” Pitstick, 38, proudly told the News last week. “I’m just a goofy, punk rock kid who gets to wake up and draw on people for a living. What could be better?”
Pitstick’s new parlor is housed in a space not unfamiliar to the hum of a tattoo gun. The Yellow Springs Royal Prevail is tucked away at 115 Glen St., where Gailz Tattooz was located for nearly 27 years until its owner, Gail Carter, closed up her parlor in February.
“Since it was already licensed as a tattoo shop, it was a very ‘turn-key’ situation,” Pitstick said.
Though Pitstick remembers being a teenager and watching Gail tattoo his cousin, he said he never thought that her shop would one day be his.
Walking around town on an unseasonably warm January day, he saw the “for rent” sign and after a few whirlwind weeks, the parlor was his. Pitstick immediately set to work improving the space. He and a small team of industrious artists — and even former clients — took out some walls and old carpet, put in new flooring, redid the plumbing and added some new sinks, and brushed in a bright new paint job.
“Now, it’s a completely different space and we’re ready to roll,” Pitstick said, and added that the improvements he and his helpers made allowed the shop to pass all inspections with “flying colors.”
Despite the marked interior differences, Royal Prevail Tattoo still has the same translucent curb appeal as Gailz did: its large windows that run along the Glen Street side allow ample natural light to flood the parlor. That’s a huge benefit when working on intricate, detailed tattoos, Pitstick said.
Pitstick, a lifelong Daytonian who currently lives just minutes outside Yellow Springs, described his go-to tattoo styles as American traditional and neo-traditional.
“Think old school stuff with lots of color and bold linework. You know, like Sailor Jerry,” he said.
Royal Prevail’s stylistic offerings won’t be limited to Pitstick’s aesthetics, however. Over the coming months, he plans to bring four full-time tattoo artists — some of whom will split their time between the Fairborn shop and the Glen Street location — into his new shop.
Between all these tattoo artists and future guest artist spots, clients will be able to get “whatever they want,” Pitstick said.
“We’ll soon be able to tackle any style,” he said. “A photo-realistic portrait of their grandma? Illustrative stuff? Small flash? Old school panthers, hearts, daggers or snakes? Oh, yeah. We’ll do it all. Everyone is welcome here.”
Pitstick’s social media attests to his wide range: It’s a bright array of tattoos of blue jays, hot air balloons, longhorn skulls, flaming hearts and more. Around the time of his interview with the News, he was working on a traditional rose tattoo on Xenia resident Jacquelyne Postiy’s hand. Despite the sensitive location — hands are a notoriously painful spot for a tattoo — Postiy praised Pitstick’s delicate touch.
The first tattoo Pitstick did in his new shop was, naturally, one on himself. Apropos of the opening, it simply says the word “first.” It’s the latest addition to Pitstick’s head-to-toe, literal body of work.
Pitstick said he wants the new Royal Prevail location to cater to all — Yellow Springs visitors and lifelong villagers alike — who want to express themselves through their tattoos.
“Tattoo shops come with some stigmas,” he admitted. “They can be the scary, intimidating biker shops, or on the other hand, can be run by a bunch of artsy people trying to high-brow me and charge a thousand dollars for a small tattoo.”
Pitstick continued: “We’re not either of those places. We’re not going to ‘cool guy’ anyone or shy away from anyone from any walk of life wanting some cool art on their body. We’re just happy to be here.”
Royal Prevail Tattoo, located at 115 Glen St., is presently open 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Tuesday–Saturday. Samples of owner Dustie Pitstick’s work can be found on his website at mobunniemoproblems.com, on his Instagram at @mobunniemoproblems or http://www.royalprevailtattoo.com. Appointments can be scheduled online or by calling 937-321-3631.
One Response to “Royal Prevail brings fresh ink to Yellow Springs”
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I got all my tattoos from Gail. But I am looking forward to getting my next tat from Dustie. Best of luck.