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David Brown of Fallen Heroes Tattoo & Piercing in Colorado Springs supports a mission not to let the community’s original heroes be forgotten in the age of rap-stars and sports legends.
“Firefighters, police officers, EMTs – these are the guys that built our community and keep our community up. In my opinion, we’ve devolved to a point where our heroes are rappers and football or basketball players, and that’s just not the America that I grew up in,” Brown said. “My heroes were always the first responders, and we wanted a place where that was still recognized, that those are the heroes – the people that keep us doing what we’re doing at no sacrifice but their own.”
Nestled on the corner of Colorado Ave. and S. Chestnut St. in Old Colorado City, Fallen Heroes stands as the largest single-studio tattoo shop in the U.S. Hosting 26 artists – a number of which are veterans including Brown himself – the shop works to recognize the convergence of the first responder, veteran and tattoo community.
Brown’s interest in tattoo culture was natural, inspired by his grandfather, an Air Force veteran carrying over 20 years in the service, who boasted tattoos from none other than Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins himself – a pioneer of the tattoo industry known for developing his own pigmented ink and custom needle formations, according to his website.
“My grandpa was huge, this massive bear of a man, and he served for a lifetime. He had two tattoos. One was a Sailor Jerry American hula on his right arm, and a Sailor Jerry Hawaiian hula, because he was serving in Pearl Harbor, both done by Sailor Jerry himself. The attention that it used to get, I think I saw that as a little guy,” Brown said. “That spark for tattoos, that’s because of him.”
While tattoo culture is much more mainstream today, the artform used to be reserved for specific fringe groups. Brown credits the modern acceptance of tattoos to the veteran and first responder community.
“Tattoos are more prevalent now; they’re more accepted. They’re not this pushed-away artform. It used to be, ‘you got to be a thug or a criminal to have tattoos.’ I think with the help of those veterans, those service members, those teachers, we’ve moved well beyond that drugs-and-thugs mentality to, ‘it’s art’ – what has always been in my mind, but wasn’t always perceived that way,” Brown said.
“What I love is the is the freedom that this industry has brought back to the United States. The tattoo world, it’s no longer this hidden, weird little world that we used to live in,” he added.
Additionally, Brown spoke about the evolution of tattoo designs that servicemen and women are requesting at the shop – it’s not just guns, ships and girls anymore.
“You’d see the stars and stripes. You’d see U.S. Army stuff up there: guns, ships, girls, stuff like that. And now, I think … we’ve gone from a symbology of the service and moved to a symbology of the servant,” Brown said, describing intricate, big arm sleeves and chest pieces of Roman battles and lived military experiences requested by veteran and active-duty clients today.
“I think it tells much more of a story when you start seeing some of the work that these guys are getting done. It’s magic what these guys come up with and what they walk away with. Pure magic,” Brown said.
Fallen Heroes resident artists and veterans Darin Newhouse and Makaia “Synner” both have 15 years in the industry, along with their time in the service. While Darrin served in the Navy, Synner served in the Army. Both said they fell into tattooing after their service.
“I just did three years (in the Navy) right after high school, and it was an experience that opened my eyes for the rest of my life [and] gave me good insight on having a good background for everything I ever tried for,” Newhouse said.
Both artists reflected on their clientele of mostly veterans and service members positively, saying it’s great to work with a community they share common ground with.
“Honestly, the military is half of my money, and it’s always an honor. We can go back and forth, you know, chuckle and tell stories. Tattoos are mainstream now, and the base is so close. With our name being what it is, the vets, the first responders, they seem to find us,” Newhouse said.
Synner added the shops’ mission of giving back to the community keeps their clientele coming back.
“The name Fallen Heroes, and the fact that we give back to the community so much, is what keeps a lot of them coming back. It’s a good vibe, good atmosphere here, and the fact that we are so involved in the community,” Synner said.
Brown’s nonprofit, Redemption Ink, works to provide free cover up tattoos for those wishing to remove gang- and hate-group-related tattoos, as well as for victims of human trafficking.
Additionally, the shop works to raise money for Sue’s Gift and the M Family Foundation, two nonprofits dedicated to fighting ovarian cancer. According to Brown the shop has collectively raised over $300,000 for the cause.
Brown told the Bulletin that having the shop be more than just a tattoo studio was always a part of his and his wife’s dream – to have Fallen Heroes be a pivotal aspect of the Colorado Springs community.
“When we started the studio, we didn’t want it to just be a tattoo studio. We wanted it to be bigger. We wanted to be bolder. We wanted to be something that you put in the middle of a community that is immediately part of that community, and remains part of that community,” Brown said.
He added, “I won’t be around forever; my wife won’t be around forever. But I’d like to think that someday a grandkid or a great-grandkid will drive by the shop and say, ‘my grandpa built that.'”
