The Hive to mark 30 years of ink Friday

MOSES LAKE — The Hive will celebrate its 30th birthday from noon to 7 p.m. Friday with a throwback to its origins.

“We're gonna have a big flash sale with tattoos ranging from $50 to $250,” said owner and artist Shawn Willmorth. “So basically tattoo prices from 30 years ago.”

Willmorth opened The Hive in Moses Lake in February 1994, when there were no other tattoo artists in Grant County, he said.

“When I came here, like there wasn't much unclaimed territory (in the tattoo business),” Willmorth said. “Moses Lake was really one of the last places on the map.”

The local market wasn’t quite enough to support a shop by itself right away, Willmorth said, so he traveled to Seattle, Spokane, Wenatchee and the Tri-Cities to build up a clientele.

“(That’s) been the great benefit of being located right in the middle of nowhere. It's on the way to anywhere else.”

Besides Willmorth, there will be 12-15 guest artists, he said, mostly from the Northwest. They’ll be offering tattoo designs with beehive, honeycomb or 30-year themes. 

Clients who buy tattoos will also be entered in a drawing for a gift certificate, Willmorth said, and everybody who shows up will be entered in a drawing for the grand prize, a honey-themed gift basket that also includes a $450 gift certificate. There will also be limited-edition T-shirts, sweatshirts and stickers.

“We would like (to take) the opportunity to thank the community for all the years of support,” Willmorth said.