Shop Managing with Bunnie Lebowski

Jon Mesa and Matt Truiano talk with special guest Bunny about her path through tattoo culture from the early 1990s to New York City. Bunny recalls getting a first hand tattoo at 14 in Milan, then finding a safe community working around a Milan shop as a teen alongside misfits and bikers. She describes moving to Scotland and London, returning to Milan to see tattooing dramatically evolve, and how Instagram and shifting social acceptance helped tattoos become mainstream and trend-driven. After moving to NYC, she began working in shops including Armageddon, Magic Cobra, and Three Kings, discussing long shop hours, changing business pressures, and the challenge of managing personalities. Bunny shares why she prefers staying behind the scenes and advises shop staff to take the job seriously and respect the business.