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Posted on Thursday, 11.18.10
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HIALEAH
IN THE BIG LEAGUES
TWO BROTHERS STRIKE OUT ON THEIR OWN TO OPEN MAJOR LEAGUE TATTOOS -- WHICH HAS ATTRACTED SOME PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYERS
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BY AMELIA GONZALEZ
SOUTH FLORIDA NEWS SERVICE
When Mike Chevere was given a prison-made tattoo machine at the age of 16, he instantly felt a new desire to practice his artwork on the skin of others.
But since he was underage, his new fascination for tattooing had to wait until he was older.
``When I was 16, my next door neighbor was released from prison and brought home the same tattoo machine he used to tattoo others while incarcerated,'' Chevere said. ``After a while, he bought himself a new one, and knowing that I wanted to tattoo, he gave me his.''
Now, 12 years and five tattoo machines later, Chevere, 28, owns Major League Tattoos with his younger brother, Jose, 26.
The tattoo shop, located at 5580 W. 16th Ave., in Hialeah, was opened in August 2008 and offers tattoos and body piercing.
The Cheveres said they were determined to make their tattoo establishment different from the majority of shops they had seen over the years.
Mike Chevere said most places they visited were rude and even unfriendly.
``I like to talk to my customers through the tattoo and make it a friendly environment, so that they aren't thinking about the pain of the tattoo,'' he said.
As the name indicates, the shop, very popular in Hialeah, has many Major League customers.
Dontrelle Willis, named 2006 Hometown Hero and former Marlins pitcher, is one of them.
``My wife knows when I go get a tattoo with Mike, I'm gone all day,'' said Willis, who has more than 30 hours of tattoo work done on his body.
Before getting into the tattoo business, the two brothers were working as pool boys in a hotel in Miami Beach.
``We had to take three buses to work each day,'' Chevere said. ``On the way to the bus stop, we would talk about how much we hated our lives because we knew the job we were about to go do.''
That was when the brothers decided it was time to change careers.
``I bought a professional tattooing kit and did four tattoos with it,'' said Chevere, who had been winning art competitions since kindergarten.
``I took pictures of them and took a small portfolio to the flea market and that was when I got my first job as a tattoo artist.''
After working two years in the Allapattah flea market, the brothers were driven to open their own business.
``Mike had the idea of opening the shop, and I decided to invest my money with him and go for it,'' Jose Chevere said, adding he does not regret his decision.
``This is the only job I've had that when I wake up in the morning, I don't say `Damn, I have to go work today,' '' he said. ``I'm working with my brother and you can't beat that.''
The shop has three tattoo artists who work alongside the two brothers. Tattoos start at $30; body piercings start at $20
Melissa Silva, 21, said she learned the art of tattooing from the older Chevere. ``We always challenge ourselves to do our best with every tattoo,'' she said. ``It's a very fun and laid-back environment.''
Major League Tattoos has about 1,440 designs customers can choose from, or artists can hand- draw illustrations as requested.
About 80 percent of Major Leagues Tattoos' business comes from the tattoo side.
Chevere said butterflies and Chinese letters are popular with women, and tribal and portraits with men.
The brothers use Facebook and MySpace to market their business, though both agree word of mouth has brought them the most customers.
Anibal Sanchez, 26, a current Marlin pitcher, was first introduced to Mike Chevere by Miguel Cabrera, another former Marlin's star.
``When I saw the tiger he tattooed on Miguel, I went to the shop and got a tattoo of my son's face on my right arm.''
The pitcher's tattoo was done in February 2008 and displays the face of his son when he was 1 month old. Above the portrait reads his name, Alan Eduardo, and the words ``Te Amo,'' Spanish for ``I Love You,'' right below the newborn's face.
Alan died at 3 months old from Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease.
``When I found out my wife was pregnant, I decided I would use my right arm for a tattoo of my child,'' said Sanchez, who has a cross and a baseball tattooed on his left arm. Mike began tattooing the big leaguers when a customer, Hugo Trandon, official barber of the Florida Marlins, first introduced him to the players in 2007.
``When I saw Hugo's work, I had to call Mike,'' said Marlins center fielder Cameron Maybin, 23.
``He does beautiful work.''
Since then, Chevere has done two of his nine tattoos. He said his drawing could take up to five hours while the tattoo itself will take two.
``When I'm doing a drawing, I sit until it's perfect. I put all my effort into my drawings,'' Chevere said. ``I'm known for being a turtle tattooing.''
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