Studio owner Thomas Buckley talks with Selectwoman Christine Hoyt as she looks through his image books on Friday.
ADAMS, Mass. — Hardline Studio opened its books on Friday, offering a variety of original tattoos created by owner Thomas Buckley. For him, this has been a longtime dream.
He has been a tattoo artist for more than 15 years and many wore his artwork at the ribbon cutting attended by the Board of Selectmen.
"It got into me," Buckley said when asked how he got into tattooing.
"I was drawing pictures and I was forced into it. It chased me down. I couldn't go anywhere, I couldn't even go to a restaurant with my friends and family without someone being like, 'Hey, by the way, I know you're eating but when you start tattooing, please call me.'"
Even the studio's name has been a long time coming, as he chose it in high school.
"I made cards, they were dorky, I wish I still had them," he said.
Selectwomen Christine Hoyt and Ann M. Bartlett, and Selectman Joseph John Nowak Jr. commended Buckley on his grand opening and expressed appreciation for joining the town's business community.
"We want to thank you for making this investment in the town of Adams," Hoyt said.
The space at 38 Park St. has undergone a dramatic change from a former tanning salon into a moody, modern studio. The mostly black interior is accentuated by pops of red and Buckley's ballpoint pen artwork lines the walls.
He described the location as "prime" after a two-year search in his hometown of Pittsfield. The building, owned by Matthew and Ashley Lavelle, has an Airbnb upstairs and clients who come from out of town get a discounted rate, Buckley said.
"It was just a perfect fit," he said, explaining that the landlords took care of him, making sure everything was streamlined and easy to navigate.
The front reception area will have arcade games and the tattoo chair is positioned in a curtained area for privacy. There is also a consultation area and, in a separate room, Buckley will make custom rugs — a craft he saw on Tiktok and wants to "raise the bar" on.
Buckley explained that he works with customers so they get the tattoo that they want, working in "every style, anything that you like, I like."
"If you want a tattoo from me don't be afraid, speak up, your art matters here," he said.
He highlighted the shop's use of sterile, disposable products that do not touch him, the floor, or anything else. The tattoo ink was also selected with preferences and allergies in mind.
"I use organic, vegan, gluten-free, all American-made stuff," he said.
Buckley has a long-lived passion for art with some time spent studying it in school. The grand opening was filled with former clients proudly displaying his work.
A friend explained that the Grateful Dead piece on his shoulder was done more than a decade ago and has held its color without his body rejecting it.
The shop offers both walk-ins and larger work that requires multiple sessions.
Hardline Studio can be found on Facebook and can be reached by messenger, at 413-412-2594, or at Hardlinestudio1@gmail.com. Email is the preferred method for booking.
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ACS Swat 16U Squad Tops Dalton in CRA Tourney
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
DALTON, Mass. – Rachael Wnuk hit a three-run double to help her team take a 9-0 lead, and the ACS Swat 16-year-old travel softball team earned a 12-7 win over Dalton on the first day of the 14th annual Dalton CRA Tournament.
Wnuk’s inside-the-park round tripper came in a six-run second inning for Adams-Cheshire-Savoy, which was able to survive with the win despite three-run rallies by the hosts in the third and fourth innings of the game that was stopped after five due to the tournament’s time rule.
“Huge hit,” ACS coach Lou Moser said. “I’ll tell you, I’ve coached that young lady since she was in coach-pitch division. She sees the ball very well. She’s become a really proficient hitter, going the opposite way when she knows she can.
“I’m super proud of that kid.”
It was a good evening all the way around for the ACS Swat program, which also saw its 12U team beat the Greylock Thunder, 7-2, in their tournament opener.
On Saturday morning, Dalton and the Berkshire Force have teams entered in the tournament’s 10U division. And the Thunder, Force and Swat all compete in the 12Us. The 16U age group features the Force, ACS Swat and Dalton. Semi-finals and finals for all three age groups are scheduled for Sunday starting at 8 a.m.
For the ACS 16s on Friday, Nora Kondel went 2-for-3 with a double and a pair of RBIs, Ava Cariddi was 2-for-2 with a couple of stolen bases, and Marlie Auger was 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI to help pace the ACS offense.
The Selectmen on Wednesday voted to enter negotiations with an Agawam catering company to operate food service at the Greylock Glen's outdoor center. click for more
More than three dozen members of the Kolis family stretching across at least three generations on Saturday celebrated 100 years in the home their dziadziu and babci built. click for more
Gratitude was the theme of Northern Berkshire Community Coalition's 38th annual meeting on Friday morning but there was a heavy dose of collaboration as well. click for more
Partners CJ Garner and Marcus Lyon hope locals and visitors alike will feel at home here, where their take on "modern American comfort food" has already found a solid base of regulars in its five weeks of operation. click for more
Firefighters were working in difficult conditions — hot muggy weather in the 90s and a torrential rainstorm that turned Commercial Street into a river right after the call came in.
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