A 25 Year History 1999 - 2024 written by owner Tracy Boucher

This is a bit of a personal story about my life and tattoo career and how it is that I’ve come to open 3 locations of Parlour Eleven, it’s a bit of a read…

I’ve always enjoyed teaching and sharing my tattoo experience and have apprenticed and employed several successful local tattooers and body piercers over the last 25 years in the Fraser Valley - Chilliwack, Abbotsford and Mission. I continue to offer apprenticeship opportunities for tattooing and am happy to offer help with your portfolio and advice on how to work to earn an apprenticeship in the tattoo industry.

I’ve been tattooing since 1999 and it’s been quite the wild ride, especially over the last 10 years…

As a young person I was an ambitious and driven employee but such a “free spirit” I was fired for various reasons from every job I had, including working for my father. It was evident at an early age that I was meant to be my own boss. Under my father’s guidance I started working primarily for myself in my early 20’s . I opened my first business in 1996 at 22 years old. In 1999 I found my way to a tattoo apprenticeship in Chilliwack, BC where I was living at the time. My parents almost disowned me for becoming a tattoo artist, at that time it was considered to be an undesirable and trashy occupation, if it could be considered an occupation at all. (They came around and I eventually tattooed my mom) I completed my apprenticeship in 2002 and with the help of my family, I opened my first tattoo company, Renaissance Hair & Body Studio. After 10 successful years operating in Abbotsford, I closed Renaissance and shifted into a private space, Chapter Red Studio, in Abbotsford BC. I took a break from business to focus on my mental health and being a single mom. Lindsay Loo popped into my life and encouraged me to apprentice again and we opened Parlour Eleven in Mission, BC in 2015. In 2016 an MVA left me unable to work full time and unable to continue tattooing what I was most passionate about. But I was blessed with the support of close friends and family, community and clients and was able to keep Parlour Eleven open and thriving. In 2019 I got back to tattooing full time and teaching but Covid changed the trajectory of my life, as it did to many people.

During Covid my mental health took a steady decline which led me to move to Williams Lake (October 2020) with my daughter to be close to my family for support. My mental health continued to decline and I ended up in a mental health facility for almost 4 weeks in Williams Lake. After months of therapy and working hard on my self care I was able to get back to work and commuted to Mission monthly to tattoo. I was fortunate to have my parents help to care for my daughter while I travelled.

January 2022 brought a living nightmare to my life when Covid suddenly took my dad’s life and devastated my mom’s health, leaving her with Long Covid paired with grief from losing the love of her life, my dad was her high school sweetheart, they had been amazing partners together for over 57 years. Among other things, this tragedy left me unable to travel because I was caring for my mom and had no one to help care for my daughter while travelling. I quickly worked to open a private studio in Williams Lake (March 2022) with the support of Lindsay Loo, Noelle and Kaitee who continued to help me operate Parlour Eleven in Mission and Lexi and Ally helping me in my new space in Williams Lake.  In January 2023 I was again able to travel to Mission monthly to tattoo, and was working between both studios.

During this time in Williams Lake I built a fabulous life and relationship with a wonderful man, worked hard at building my business in Williams Lake and even built a beautiful home. Through all of the twists and turns and changes in my life I found that I really loved where I had landed and what I had created for myself in Williams Lake, finally I was feeling settled and happy.

Unfortunately the universe had other plans for me and that peace didn’t last.  For various reasons I ended my relationship and in January 2024 moved to Kamloops with my daughter(where my family had relocated). Travelling from Kamloops to Mission and Williams Lake became more and more difficult with having a teenage daughter at home and a mom requiring care.

I’ve had to prioritize my commitment to being a mom and daughter and therefore decided that I must travel less so that I can be home more for my mom and daughter which led me to opening another studio in Kamloops (October 2024)

I’ve received many well wishes and congratulatory messages regarding my new studio so I felt I needed to tell my story, sharing the reasons for yet another studio … I don’t feel like I’m opening multiple studios out of success or because I’m thriving. I’m doing it because I have to, I’ve had to move and need somewhere to tattoo where I live. I’m doing my best to pivot when the universe throws these crazy curveballs! Sometimes the universe is unrelenting in what it sends your way, but I know that the hardest times are where the most important lessons and most growth are found. It will never send you more than you can handle, I try to remember that when I feel like it’s just too much. One foot in front of the other, take things day by day and try to remain positive, trusting that you’re right where you’re supposed to be. Easier said than done, I know.

I’m so thankful for the support of the women in my life, particularly the women who work at Parlour Eleven, my family and of course my clients and community.  Without you, I can’t imagine where I would be. I appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your unwavering support of my art and my businesses and your support of the women who work with me. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Moving forward I’ll be tattooing mostly in Kamloops and both Mission and Williams Lake locations will continue to operate. I’ll do my best to continue to travel to Mission and Williams Lake, just not as often.  I’ll be tattooing at my favorite conventions in Canada including Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Winnipeg to connect with other artists and grow in my community. I love tattooing and hope to be tattooing and teaching for another 25 years! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your love and support

Wishing you much love and happiness,

Tracy B.