Grinnin’ Bear Tattoo

08/05/2026

We’ve got a TON of new flash pieces that will be making their way into our flash books soon, and we wanted to show you guys what the process looks like!

The artwork you’ll see in our flash books is the line work, that’s the blueprint for the tattoo. From there, we can tattoo it as simple line work, add black and grey shading, or bring in full color!

Swipe through to see a few examples of how the exact same design can look in each stage.

Whether you’re a line work lover, a black and grey collector, or all about bold color, the same flash design can have a completely different feel.

Keep an eye on our page over the next little while, we’ve been drawing like crazy so we’ve got a bunch of new flash coming soon!

08/01/2026

Go and get YOUR lovely, maybe slightly creepy doll from all of the new ones that Relic’s got in! We’ve already gone and found ours 😜

The ceiling is fixed and the cleanup is well under way; Relic is starting to look like it's self again.

07/25/2026

Hope takes many forms—wings to lift us up and a butterfly to remind us that healing, growth, and transformation are always possible. 💕 both done by Emma!

07/18/2026

Meet Emma! 👋

She’s officially all moved in and booking with us!

Emma is a level 31 in Pokemon Go (almost 32), has never seen a gremlin in person, and binge watched New Girl.

Her favorite styles to work with are Neotraditional and florals. She loves to stipple shade. Black and gray is her go to but she’d love to start working with color more often.

We can’t wait for you to meet her! Check out some of her work on Instagram fantasy.inks23.

If you want to book with Emma, the first step is easy. Fill out our digital consultation and we’ll guide you through the rest!

https://venue.ink/

07/15/2026

Happy National Hot Dog Day! 🌭

Got Big Dawg over here slingin’ weens in observance. So glad to be back!

07/12/2026

After a longer road than we ever expected, Grinnin’ Bear Tattoo & Piercing is officially reopening on July 15th.

Thank you to everyone who checked on us, shared our posts, waited patiently, and supported us while we worked through everything. We genuinely couldn’t have asked for a better community.

We’ve made a few changes while we were away:

• Consultations are now completed online.
• Appointments are booked through our new booking system.
• Digital consent forms make check-in faster and easier.
• Walk-ins will be much more limited as we focus on providing the best appointment experience possible.

If you’ve been waiting to get tattooed (or pierced!), we’d love to see you.

If you want to start the process to get booked, fill out your consultation form here:

https://venue.ink/

We’ll look over everything then send over pricing and your booking link so you can lock in your appointment.

See you soon 🖤

06/18/2026

Since we’re taking a breather for the gas leak, we wanted to pull back the curtain on how we keep things tight. Safety is the baseline for everything we do here.

We aren’t in the business of cutting corners. Every needle is single-use and opened right in front of you. Workstations are fully disinfected between clients and gloves are swapped constantly. That’s just the standard.

Here’s a look at the stuff you don’t always see that shows how much we care:

- Inspecting jewelry before use and using only implant-grade from reputable sources.
- Checking supplies for damage, expiration, or defects.
- Saying no if anatomy isn’t right for a tattoo or piercing.
- Only piercing minors who can consent and care for their piercings.
- Checking health info and meds to stay safe, not nosy.
- Asking the "inconvenient" questions that protect you.
- Keeping emergency supplies ready.
- Answering aftercare questions long after your session.
- Giving honest feedback on design and color: we’ll tell you what works best.
- Replacing gear before it ever has a chance to fail. - Cleaning the things you’ll never even know exist.

Caitlin, Jo, Vince, Megan, and Carrie follow this playbook because you’re the priority. We’ll be back slinging ink soon!

05/12/2026

Important Shop Update:

We had planned to reopen this week following the utility issue affecting our area. However, after another inspection today, Alliant confirmed there is still an active gas leak outside the building that has not yet been repaired.

While the interior of the shop tested safe and the outside leak has tested below explosive levels, we have decided to remain temporarily closed out of an abundance of caution until the issue has been fully resolved.

The safety and comfort of our staff and clients will always come first. We sincerely appreciate everyone’s patience, understanding, and support while we wait for repairs to be completed.

We are currently working through messages from the last couple of weeks we’ve been closed and will respond to everyone as soon as we can. If you have an appointment scheduled during this closure period, we will be reaching out directly to get you rescheduled.

We will continue posting updates as we receive them and will announce our reopening date as soon as possible. Thank you all so much for sticking with us through this. 🖤

02/13/2026

❤️ Friday the 13th x Valentine’s ❤️

Tomorrow kicks the event off! We will be in Friday from 11-7 and Saturday 11-4.

✨FEATURED FLASH BY JO
❤️ Sizes + prices marked
❤️ First come, first served
❤️ Limited designs, no repeats!
❤️ Walk-ins welcome
❤️ Arms & Legs only

Need an appointment? Let us know and we’ll see what we can do! Call or text us 712-250-1880.

Details on our Get What You Get designs will be posted tomorrow!

02/11/2026

🖤 Friday the 13th x Valentine’s 🖤

Love hurts, but in the best way! We’re combining these two for a flash event over here at Grinnin’ Bear.

✨FEATURED FLASH BY CAITLIN
🖤 Sizes + prices marked
🖤 First come, first served
🖤 Limited designs, no repeats!
🖤 Walk-ins welcome
🖤 Arms & Legs only

Jo’s flash will be posted soon, so keep an eye out!

Details on our Get What You Get designs are also coming!