Got Inked?
By Braddah Lance
As promised for a new feature on WWD!, I wanted to showcase regular hard working kind hearted kama'aina that usually don't get the spotlight or recognition for busting okole.
On this inaugural post of 808 Pride, I was referred to a tattoo artist to check out and I was more than pleasantly surprised!
I met with Doug Wheeler at Hawaiian Tattoo Company (Puck's Alley) on a late Saturday morning before the shop opened and once we got to talking, it almost seemed like we were lost friends catching up. He was a little nervous being that it was his first interview (not to mention his wife telling him no make "A") but I was equally as nervous too being that it was a first for me in full production mode as well.
The interview went on without a hitch considering I was a one man crew managing the video and digital camera's and believe it or not, the interview itself is unedited - except for the fact that I had to break it up into two segments because YouTube won't allow long videos - and we both kind of "winged it". 
Doug was extremely honest in his answers and he broke down a lot of stigma's and stereotypes I personally had about tattoo artists in general. For instance, he's not a hard ass punk rocker with piercings all over the creation and besides his very groomed goatee, you could never tell he was a tattoo artist. He also works six days a week and actually loves and takes pride in what he does. He recognizes that the artwork he creates is not only a representation of the person getting the tattoo but it's his "signature" on every piece.
Check out the videos and go see for yourself and you'll see why Doug represents with da 808 Pride. If you've ever thought about getting inked....... check him out cause trust and believe, he's one tattoo artist that won't let you down.
Did I get inked?
You just have to stay tuned and find out. 
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Hawaiian Tattoo Company
Puck's Alley (corner of University and S King)
2600 South King Street
(808) 946-2600
dougtat2.com
dougtat2@gmail.com
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Braddah Doug represent
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Humble lobby with tons of previous artwork readily available to sample. The shop also does piercings which I passed on. 
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Braddah Doug's workshop
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Mahalos to you Braddah Doug for taking da time for sharing your mana'o with Da WWD! Hui!
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SHOUT OUT: Let's all give a big cheee-hooo to Mr. & Mrs. Doug Wheeler because in about eight months, they'll have an addition to their ohana! Congrats!
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Wassup Wit Dat!
October 20th, 2009 at 5:22 am
BL,
Back from Vegas except for my money but had a really good time away from work & all this humid weather.
My niece's boyfriend is a tattoo artist and its seems to be a very lucrative business. He gets to travel around the world plying his trade and making big bucks for it.
Personally, I would never get a tattoo. Why waste the ink on this old canvas or is it carcass ?
October 20th, 2009 at 5:30 am
Knee!!!
October 20th, 2009 at 5:36 am
Hey nice job on the interview. Congrats to Braddah Dooug.
Sorry, I'm not inked. No like being poled 5,893,741 times in one sitting. I just draw with my pen so can erase.
Interesting the difference between a "tattooist" and a "Tattoo Artist" Hey I can trace, but I no can draw. Kudos brah
October 20th, 2009 at 5:37 am
Sorry Braddah Doug. Eye and hand coordination not too guud dis morning. Stuck my ooooo key
October 20th, 2009 at 5:41 am
Never got inked though I was tempted to several times. This was after more than a few drinks with "the braddahs" late night!
October 20th, 2009 at 6:57 am
Nice interview! Doug seems like a really cool guy, and congratulations to him and his wife on their upcoming addition!
October 20th, 2009 at 7:21 am
Aloha All!
I gotta ask, did you get a tat?
October 20th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Underdog, right?
October 20th, 2009 at 8:12 am
I got inked a couple of years back. It's my last name in korean character. To my surprise, it didn't hurt at all. The experience went so well, I'm actually thinking of going back to get another one.
October 20th, 2009 at 8:27 am
Good job, Lance. I know nothing about the tattooing industry although I did have a few stereotyped images inside my head from my small kid time. I remember them as small, dingy "hole in the wall" places in the area around King and Smith streets with messy and dirty pictures of tattoos tacked all over the walls. The tattoo artist looked grimy, like the rest of the place. Braddah Doug and his establishment looks nothing like what I remembered. Now I understand why so many people get tattooed. And, congrats to Baddah Doug and wife.
October 20th, 2009 at 8:40 am
BRADDAH LANCE....thank you so much...i am very humbled.
October 20th, 2009 at 8:54 am
das how! small business is da backbone fo da state. any small business dat can be successful contributes so much to da overall economy. good job Wheeler ohana and congrats to da new addition.
October 20th, 2009 at 8:57 am
oh by da way, good job BL wit da videos. you get one future in media broadcasting.
October 20th, 2009 at 9:38 am
nice interview there BL!
Hawaiian Tattoo Co. looks like a great place to get inked. garans i going give this place a try......IF i decide to get anoddah tat. braddah doug got da right stuff!
cheee hooo to da Wheelers!
October 20th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Layaway program?
At least the good ones do right?
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san shi go
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I know! I was tripping out too.
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You'd be surprised dat you cannot get a tattoo while "feelin' good". Da movies lie.
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He is really cool, laid back and grounded. Was really nice to meet him.
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Stay tuned.......... but in short, no.
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With da circles and all?
Like they say, once inked, you won't stop.
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Yeah, it's super clean and actually regulated by da Board of Health if I'm not mistaken.
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Was all you braddah! If local boys cannot help local boys out...... you not local!
Da pleasure was all mine. Great to meet you and it was fun!
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Rogah dat! Gotta support local!
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Tell 'em I sent ya! And yeah, he is a great guy. Once you start to talk to him you get a feel for him and will know wat I'm talkin' about.
October 20th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Getting inked is a HUGE decision, but once you start, hard fo' stop. I've got five so far, and have plans for more...
October 20th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Great blog! I always wanted to get a tattoo but never had the nerve. Maybe one day.
Congrats Doug and wife on the upcoming addition to the ohana!!
October 20th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Aw man! I no can see the interview.
Gotta wait until I go home to check um out.
Wow, looks like a nice place! Not like the kine you see in movies: seedy, smoke filled dirty rooms filled with bikers and loose women.
Congrats to the Wheelers on the addition to the ohana!
October 20th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Doug is my artist and I wouldn't trade him for anyone else. Been going to see him for a few years and he's done everything I have except for one little butterfly (but we don't talk about that). So far we've done a back piece and got a sleeve in progress. I do recommend him to my friends and they've all been really pleased with the outcome. Plus he really is like how he is in the video, well...almost. Once you get to know him he's a bit more out there and he's got some...interesting stories.
Thank you BL for giving him that little promo spot!
If you go to his site and look at the portfolio, I'm the one in the very middle, the shiisa
October 20th, 2009 at 11:17 am
I got my leg done at Hawaiian Tattoo Company. Awesome shop!!! Very talented artists...
October 20th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Howzit BL!
Nice interview, no tattoos and don't plan on getting any. I have nothing against it, just not something I want to do.
October 20th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Been ten years since my last tat... been wanting to get my leg done and my arm retouched... seems like everyone has a "sleeve" now... guess its a must.. especially for the local bruddahs...
I'll keep this shop in mind when I'm ready...
October 20th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh speaking of...............I'm planning on getting. Do you know how the pricing is over there? I'm wanting to add my two youngest names on my back along with my oldest, I want it all together with some kind of design going on. On my lower back (yeah yeah I know tramp stamp! lol). OMG maybe this is a sign, that I should go over there and get a tattoo! lol.
BL did you get one by any chance?
October 20th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
@Jaydee yup BL is right they won't let you get one if your under the influence, especially if you show up drunk! Something about your blood being thinned out from the alcohol.
OH BL do you know what time they open? I'm off this thursday maybe I'll go take a field trip.
October 20th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Nice feature BL. Looking forward to the next installment where you and Da Wife get matching ink
Alan from Makiki
October 20th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
I pass by that place all the time. I would get a tat if there was something I wanted on my body permanently, but nothing has come up yet.
October 20th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
No Tats. Not interested in defacing my pristine body. Bwahaaahaaa!
October 20th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Yowza! Actually, not too uncommon these days yeah wea get 'em all ovah like sleeves, calves, neck.... head.
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Well, it is a "lifetime" commitment.
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Yeah, it's very clean.
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You could call it faith. Originally it was just going to be a regular post but when I found I was in the rotation for the morning page promo da oddah week, I saved it for da interview.
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E Komo Mai back GumbysHorse! And yup, they are talented.
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Yeah, you really kinda gotta want and it's not a thing you wanna do on a whim. Maybe one day I'll "sharpie" your forearm with "WWD!".
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I noticed dat too. Get choke people with sleeves and now I've been noticing quite a bit more full body ones too!
Please do. Doug is a very cool guy.
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Very reasonable considering some shops charge nearly 1.5 times more. He's very honest in that if it's a difficult tat, it'll cost more but adjusts for "easier" ones but always ask first and not later because you don't want to assume it's an "easy" tat.
BAM! *palm to forehead* Was dat a good enough sign for you?
Stay tuned...............
Rogah dat! Doug even goes so much as giving you not only post-tat care instructions but PRE-tat prep instructions as well!
I think 12pm but don't quote me on that. Doug is usually by appointment only so send him an email or give him a call because you may miss him oddahwise.
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Yeah, wat you put on your body you bettah be able to wake up everyday and look at it without thinking twice.
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October 20th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Awesome interview, not much to say but props to BL for doing this, Doug is most definitely THE MAN. I've known Doug for years and he has been tattooing me for years, awesome guy, awesome friend, awesome tattoo artist. Highly recommended.
http://dougtat2.com
October 20th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
I recall seeing that sign and knowing where that shop is, so kudos on the advertisement and location. I got a tattoo when I was 20 and living in England. It doesn't mean the same thing it did 10 years ago, thus I can testify to the downside of getting inked.
October 20th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Hello, Thomas.
October 20th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
doug did my brother's tattoo and we are super pleased with his artistic creativity. give him your idea and he'll come up with something truly amazing.
besides that, he's a super cool guy.
congrats on the new addition, doug!!
October 21st, 2009 at 4:17 am
BF:
What's wrong with bikers and loose women
No Michelangelo's on me
October 22nd, 2009 at 5:51 am
Braddah Lance: Here's a site you and Doug might get a kick out of.
http://www.hanzismatter.com/
This site features many bad mistakes featuring Asian language characters. There are also a bunch of people that have gotten tattoos featuring characters from various Asian languages (Chinese, Japanese, etc.). The hilarious thing about this site, is the absolute cluelessness of those getting tattooed. There are so many folks that get tattoos that don't have any idea what the characters mean, if they even mean anything at all.
October 22nd, 2009 at 9:34 am
Couldn't have said it bettah myself.
btw, E Komo Mai to WWD! Tom AKA Systom!
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Doug surah has a lot of fans!
E Komo Mai to WWD! crazy deb!
I'm taking it you got some "crazy" tat huh?
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Well...... how loose?
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Yeah, my friend was just talking about dat. He gets a little irra's wen he see's anybody non-asian getting kanji kine stuff. And no he doesn't have any and he's Filipino.
October 23rd, 2009 at 3:47 am
I hate to sound elitist, but yeah...asian themed tattoos on non-asian people is kind of annoying. If it really means something to you, then great, but getting A-n-daa-so-n (Anderson) in kanji because it's "gangsta" is a very poor reason. I do believe that every large scale tattoo should be important to you because after all, it's with you as long as you are alive. I guess that's another word of advice to "Illustrated Man" hopefuls. If you can't fathom your existence beyond a few years, perhaps tattoos aren't for you. Also, as has been said, you need to think of what doors close and open for you after getting inked. I have gotten ignored while my tattoos are exposed, but within the same hour, after putting on a jacket, the very same people treat me like a normal human being. Yes, I know it's my fault for having tattoos, but I'm able to deal with it. Others might not be.