After lifting a tattoo ban put in place in the 1960s, South Carolina saw a flood of new tattoos that were once viewed as taboo, according to The Post and Courier in Charleston. 

After the ban was lifted in 2004, nearly 100 tattoo parlors opened around the state and business has become competitive, the Courier writes.

“People are more educated about tattoos, and if you don’t run a tight ship, you’re not going to last long in this industry,” said Mike Crumb, an artist at Neon Needle in Goose Creek, told The Post and Courier. “If you don’t know what you are doing, you will starve.”

To read more about the role of tattoos in South Carolina since the ban was lifted click here.