Led by owner Sadie Comer, The Tattoo Garden hosted its first charity event on Saturday, raising funds for the St. Jude Research Center.

Tara Thomas excitedly said she would be getting her first tattoo at Saturday's fundraiser after seeing the post on social media.

“I had actually planned it from the day I saw it,” she said. “I've always wanted one because I'm in my 40s and I've never gotten one and we've always been big supporters of St. Jude.”

Thomas assumes that she may not be able to choose her motif, but for her the tattoo was more about knowing that she was helping people.

“I said, 'This is my sign, I'm going to get it.' It's fun to do something like this anyway, but this is what makes it really worthwhile,” she said.

Comer had a spontaneous idea and could only market the campaign through Facebook. She wasn't sure if the fundraiser would be successful, so she and another artist tattooed people who lined up first thing in the morning.

“We were so busy when we opened,” she said. “Everyone was here by 10 a.m. and I think we did 11 or 12 tattoos in total today.”

Comer has been a tattoo artist for three years and opened her aesthetic, leaf-adorned shop in the heart of downtown Trenton in March of this year. From day one, giving back in one way or another has been on her entrepreneurial agenda.

“I know a lot of businesses that host events, but I've never seen one host a fundraiser,” she said. “It was more than I could have ever asked for.”

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Because of the success of the Tattoos for St. Jude event, Comer plans to raise money for a different cause each summer.

“It's not just going to be St. Jude, so I plan on doing something next year, whether it's for the homeless or the hungry. I'm a fan of pets, so I was thinking about doing something like that this year,” Comer said. “Something like that, just to get the attention of someone who's been through something.”

Customers could choose from a range of small flashsheet designs, each valued at $100, with 50% of the proceeds benefiting St. Jude.

Ultimately, more than $600 is donated.

The Tattoo Garden is located at 204 Northeast Court Square and is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sarah Best is a reporter for The Jackson Sun. To support local journalism, subscribe to the Daily Briefing Here

This article originally appeared in the Jackson Sun: Trenton tattoo parlor raises money for St. Jude Research Center