Absolute Tattoos & Body Piercing Celebrates 30 Years in Business

Absolute Joy

By Sarah Dighans, Bellevue Chamber of Commerce & Community

For 30 years, Daniel and Annaliza Botsford’s Absolute Tattoos & Body Piercing shop has left its mark on Bellevue, Nebraska.

Daniel’s journey into tattooing didn’t begin in a tattoo studio. It started with a passion for drawing as a young boy, inspired by the Peanuts comic strip and his father’s artistic talent. He put his love for art on the shelf when he joined the military but kept finding his way back to it. After a tour in Iraq while stationed in Germany, knowing a reduction in military force was on the horizon, he saw the writing on the wall and knew he needed an exit plan.

Daniel said, “I had already been painting – airbrushing – bands’ backdrops on the side. Tattooing had just kind of picked up a little bit. I already had my first couple out at Basic, but it wasn’t really a thing, not even in the military… but I saw it picking up, and I thought, ‘Oh man! I think I can do that!’”

He purchased a tattoo kit while home on leave and started practicing on friends back in Germany. As his skills and confidence grew, he knew he found his next calling and submitted his exit paperwork.

He returned to Bellevue – where his family resided – and went to the old Bellevue City Hall to discuss tattoo shop regulations. He discovered there were no regulations. After seeing a ‘For rent’ sign in the window of the building across the street, he made a call and the set up shop in Bellevue.

Daniel said, “I love being around other people that have been in the military. Bellevue feels like such a good, close-knit community.”

Knowing he would need to rely heavily on phone book advertising in 1994, Daniel named his shop Absolute Tattoo. It wasn’t long before Annaliza came in for a tattoo. The two started dating and soon realized that Annaliza’s background in medical assisting could open the door for a body piercing addition.

With no formal training in body piercing, she learned on the job and through instructional VHS tapes. Annaliza’s background in understanding anatomy did prove beneficial and helped her confidence grow.

The beginning years were riddled with ingenuity and resourcefulness. Today’s access to equipment and supplies was not readily available in those years. The Botsfords would tattoo and pierce by day and make their own needles by night.

“We didn’t have pre-made piercing needles back then, so I had to buy venipuncture needles, cut them off, file them down, and package them myself,” Annaliza said. Daniel did the same with his tattoo needles. As the years progressed and tattooing and piercing popularity grew, businesses opened to provide the equipment and supplies readily used today.

As access to equipment and supplies grew, so did regulations. Absolute Tattoo & Body Piercing was on the forefront of those due to Daniel and Annaliza’s early dedication to boundary-setting. They said, “…even without regulations, we never had problems. At the end of the day, morally, you just don’t touch anyone under the age of 18. Some people will, but we just never did. We felt there should be some boundaries. We followed it before they ever regulated it.”

Their commitment to safe practices and top-tier work has paid dividends over the years. Thirty years later and it is still about the people for the Botsfords. Both Daniel and Annaliza garner joy from the connections built with clients. While the work remains the same, the stories and moments in the chairs are what really counts.

Annaliza is drawn to the many moments shared with clients over the years in her chair and Daniel’s portrait tattoos. Daniel is drawn to dog tattoos. Both of them exemplify warmth and personability which are paramount in their line of work. It is that very personability that has ushered in three generations of clients.

“At first, I thought we’d only be in it for maybe ten years, and now here we are, three decades later. We couldn’t have done this without our clients,” said Daniel.

Absolute Tattoo & Body Piercing is located at 215 W Mission Avenue. Follow them on Facebook at @absolutetattooshop.