Meet Yogi Herrera of Estes Park, Colorado

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yogi Herrera.

Yogi, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started tattooing professionally, in 1990, at Remi’s Emporium of Mystic Ink. First professional studio. The first half of my career was rough. I dove into the less than favorable side of a rock star lifestyle.
Once upon a time this industry was rampant with alcoholism, and addiction. Bikers, strippers, drugs, booze…. and I jumped in both feet.
In 2008, I made some pretty significant changes in my life. I got clean and sober, and sought out shops to work in that respected those decisions. There weren’t many. Covenant tattoo was prime for me though. A busy street shop in Fort Collins, that helped me refocus on my sobriety and my art. After a couple bounces around, after leaving that studio, I decided it was time to work for myself, and opened Redrum Tattoo Company, in beautiful Estes Park, CO. A 100% clean and sober studio in a snow globe tourist town. What a beautiful place to own a shop. Six years later, with a few ups and downs, and in a second location, we are still thriving.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The first half of my career about killed me, and the second half literally saved me, but we’ve kinda already covered that. The road since opening Redrum Tattoo Company has been a bit bumpy. After opening in July of 2019, the world shut down 8 months later, due to Covid. We survived. Then we had a summer of insane wildfires that threatened our little town, and finally the building that housed my first location was sold, and we were facing eviction. A wonderful friend stepped up and helped save Redrum, and we are now thriving in our second location. 232 W. Elkhorn Ave, above the Gold Mine.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a professional tattoo artist. I am not a specialist. It’s easier to say what I prefer not to do. I’m not partial to portraits, or photorealism. I’m of the belief that myself and my staff should be able to proficiently produce whatever any client that walks in our studio wants. We are known for our clean, friendly environment, and the profiency which we handle whatever comes thru the door.
What I’m most proud of is the sobriety aspect of the shop, and thats also what sets us apart. Even though it’s less than it’s been in the past, a 100% clean and sober studio is still a rarity in this industry.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Everybody I’ve ever worked with, or for, deserves some kind of credit in my journey. Remi, rest his soul, gave my first professional opportunity. Daniel Dolan, who unknowingly at the time, mentored me in how to run a successful studio. I tattooed in his shop, and paid attention to everything else he did. My studio is heavily modeled after his, as far as functionality goes.
But after myself, the person that deserves the most credit, business wise, is Alexandrea Crain. She is my shop manager, and I mentored her thru a not so traditional apprenticeship, before I started teaching her how I wanted my business to run. She has been an integral part of our growth, and brings so much to the table, even if I have to accept some of her own ideas, kicking and screaming.

Pricing:

• 80 dollar shop minimum
• Smaller pieces priced by the piece
• Larger products priced hourly
• Military and First Responder discounts

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.redrumtattoocompany.com
• Instagram: Redrum Tattoo Company
• Facebook: Redrum Tattoo Company