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Downtown Winchester has seen a boom in business over the past few years. 

Now, there is a new, unique addition to downtown. 

Inked Under Ground, located at 10 W. Broadway Street, welcomes clients seeking body art and more services. 

Business hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. 

One must take a small stairway below the main building to access the business. 

“What cooler place to be than an underground tattoo studio, right?” said owner Ren Elam. “I believe that we’re Kentucky’s first and only one.” 

The business is largely the brainchild of Elam and co-owner Ashlee Horsley, who have multiple years of experience.  

With the former living in Williamsburg and the latter living in Flemingsburg, Winchester was seen as a solid halfway point. 

“Everybody’s so nice, and they’ve been so welcoming,” Horsley said. “They stop by here to just say ‘Hi.’…… I plan on moving up here eventually.” 

Along with Elam and Horsley, the staff includes tattoo artists Tasha Henderson and Adam Blanton. 

Upon entering the business, a sense of creativity is already evident.

Painted walls decorated the front, along with taxidermy and even signs informing potential customers about tattooing. 

Not one to be singularly focused, the business includes other options. 

“We do portrait work on pen and paper, paintings, [and] different things like that,” Elam added. “Some of us are crochet artists. We bring a lot of art to the table.” 

Going further into the studio, multiple bays where others can sit or lay down to have work done are featured, with newcomers and all able to look through a selection of options. 

While choices are plentiful, some of the most common tattoos in the United States are of a butterfly, rose, dragon, flower, snake, lion, skull, moon, traditional, ritual, tribal, and minimalist. 

For Elam and Horsley, the work also has a more profound meaning. 

“I enjoy bringing people’s memories back to life, whether it’s recoloring or reworking an old tattoo,” Elam said. “[By] spending that time one-on-one with someone, you get to know a lot of really special people.” 

When I was younger, I drew a lot, and my grandmother was a painter,” Horsley added. “I want to help people feel more confident about themselves.”