It has now been 161 days since tattooing became legal in Oklahoma and shops are beginning to crop up all over Oklahoma. Prior to tattooing becoming legalized in Oklahoma the closest and easiest trip to make to get your ink work done was to head south to Texas.

Now that Okies are able to keep their money in their home state, the Texas shops close to the border are feeling the sting of the loss of the money from the Sooner state. A Different Drummer tattoo shop in Wichita Falls began keeping tabs of how many of their clients came from Oklahoma when they learned that it would soon become legal in the Sooner state and soon learned that as much as 45% of their business were Oklahomans. Other tattoo shops who have felt the bite contribute the loss of revenue to the legalization of tattoos in Oklahoma and the surge in popularity of tattooing. Shows like Miami Ink and Inked have both proven instrumental in raising awareness of tattooing and helping to diminish the stigma that has long been associated with tattooing.

Another problem for shops, with the surge in popularity, has been the new wave of shops being opened from coast to coast. It seems as if a new tattoo parlor is cropping up in every town you visit. There are few solutions for the shops that have been in business for years and years to keep their current customer base. The most feasible option that the Texas shops have is to open new branches in Oklahoma. The shops from Texas have excellent reputations but Oklahomans are so excited about no longer having to travel elsewhere to get work done that they are sticking closer to home and that means that the Texas shops that once earned their business are losing out. Many shops from Texas are now opening up locations across Oklahoma. Fantasy Tattoo and Body Piercing of Gainsville was one of the first to branch out to Oklahoma and with the current trend it will not be the last either.

So, get ready Okies the Longhorns are coming to town and they are bringing their big guns with them.