Today we’d like to introduce you to Lucy Day.
Hi Lucy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My tattoo journey started in 2001 when got my foot in the door working the front desk at Eastend Dermagraphics in Richmond ,Virginia. After spending quite sometime as a desk girl, I moved over to Graffiti’s Ink located in Sandston, Virginia. This is where my actual tattoo apprenticeship began. Once my apprenticeship was done I worked at a handful of shops throughout Richmond and Colonial Heights before finding my way to Charlottesville to work at Billy Easton’s Capital Tattoo. From there, I worked for Bryan Wallace at Phat Katz Tattoo for about five years before deciding it was time to move back home to Newport News although I actually ended up with an apartment in Hampton . I spent some time working for a local tattoo shop in Norfolk and Portsmouth before planting my feet for five years at JD Crowe’s Ancient Art Tattoo in Yorktown, Virginia.
After all that moving around, I felt it was time to establish a space with my business partner that we could call our own. We wanted somewhere untapped, somewhere we weren’t stepping on the toes of other established tattoo shops. We found that place in Newport News, Virginia. The city definitely did not make it easy for us to open a tattoo shop . We hired attorney Billy Millner to help us fight for our right to operate within the city limits and we won . However that victory was really just the beginning of another uphill battle. We had to bring the entire freestanding building up to code, which meant gutting it to framework. My business partner and I would work on the building everyday. I would usually go early in the mornings before heading to the shop where I was tattooing and at night I cleaned banks to supplement my income . The build out took about a year and on May 4th 2012, we finally opened our doors. What an accomplishment that was ! After a few years, we felt we were ready to expand and began working toward opening our second location in Hampton. We were incredibly excited about this expansion but as the business got close to opening ,Covid hit. We held fast through those months and once the world opened back up, it was business as usual. Fast forward six years, my business partner and I ultimately developed different visions for the future. In May of 2026, we split the business. I took over the original Newport News location and was able to keep the American Classic Tattoo name . Keeping that name and this location was incredibly important to me because Newport News is home. I was raised here. American Classic Tattoo was the 1st legally operating tattoo shop in City of Newport News and as of May 2026 it’s 100% female owned.
This tattoo journey has been a wild and crazy ride. There have been plenty of ups and downs and the road definitely wasn’t always easy but I wouldn’t change it because every part of it led me to where I am today.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No it hasn’t been a smooth road . From the start of the business to where I am at today, it’s been hard in many different ways . Each chapter tested me mentally , emotionally, physically and spiritually. It’s been 16 years of some of the best of times mixed with the hardest lessons of my life , but those lessons have also lead to an incredible amount of personal growth and development.
One of the challenges in the early years was simply establishing a tattoo shop in Newport News. Locals didn’t associate getting tattooed with Newport News because there had not been a tattoo shop in the city since WWI ( that’s a story for another day ) Opening the doors was one thing , building a clientele and creating that awareness was another. Over time we were able to establish ourselves and become part of the community. Navigating the end of a very long term business partnership was one of the more difficult challenges I’ve faced. Ultimately, though, it gave me the opportunity to take full ownership of the original shop and move forward with my own vision for the future.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have been tattooing for 24 years and specialize in American traditional tattoos. What sets me apart from others is not just the tattoo you receive but the experience that goes along with getting tattooed by me. I am most proud that I was raised with old school values and work ethic.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Drive, persistence and resilience I feel is important.
Pricing:
- Shop minimum starts at $60 and works it’s way up from there
Contact Info:
- Website: https://americanclassictattoo.us
- Instagram: @ americanclassictatt00757 @lucyday81
- Facebook: Facebook/aclassictattoo
