New to the area: Sundew Tattoo

Artist opens local tattoo studio in Monmouth

Allison Vanderzanden | Copy Editor

On Feb. 9, Sundew Tattoo opened for business off of Main Street in Monmouth. What was previously a veterinary clinic has been divided into two units, one of which is now Phoebe Bordadora’s tattoo studio. 

Since they were young, Bordadora has always enjoyed creating art, and they are grateful for the opportunity to make their passion professional.

“To have the privilege to do it now for a living is basically my dream come true,” Bordadora said.

Bordadora is excited to offer their one-of-a-kind style to anyone looking for a unique tattoo. They aim for accessibility and comfortability from booking to the appointment. Some of the ways they do this include asking in the booking form what accommodations can be made, providing fidget toys in the waiting room and setting up a tablet for watching movies during the tattooing process.

“Even though the tattoo industry has come a long ways very quickly, I think a lot of people still have that stereotype in their mind of … you have to be like a big tough guy to go get a tattoo and it’s going to be scary,” Bordadora said. “And I kind of feel like it’s my duty to make something completely the opposite of that, just like really welcoming and inclusive and not scary.”

One of the things Bordadora is most proud to offer is Filipino inspired tattoos. As a half Filipino themself, Bordadora has taken up the ancient method of hand poking to tattoo some traditional designs with their own personal spin.

“I really did get into it … to feel more connected to my ancient ancestors,” Bordadora said. “You don’t really see Filipino tattoos a lot nowadays, and I think it would be cool to kind of provide that.”

For the near future, Bordadora plans to focus on making Sundew Tattoo as comfortable as it can be and make the empowering experience of getting tattooed more approachable. Some long term goals they have include selling merchandise like T-shirts and expanding their reach by attending tattoo conventions.

Sundew Tattoo is open for appointments Tuesday – Saturday at 1276 Main St. E. Find a collection of Bordadora’s work on Instagram @phoebes_jeebies and book an appointment today at their website, tattoosbyphoebe.com.

Contact the author at howlcopyeditor@wou.edu