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Tattoo Yourself And Donate To Breast Cancer

HT photo by BOB EAST III

Kelly Williamson proudly displays the tattoo on her elbow of her wearing a pink ribbon (see close-up at right) in support of the Susan G. Komen fight against breast cancer.

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By TONY HOLT

Hernando Today

Published: March 16, 2009

SPRING HILL - One local tattoo parlor attracts customers up and down the East Coast, so it was primed to take advantage of its regular flow of business and donate to a worthy cause.

Kelly Williamson has tattoos across her arms and chest, many of them courtesy of Pleasure Points. Her husband, Jeff, is one of the owners.

She asked him whether he would consider donating $5 for every tattoo toward her Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk team.

"I came in and pitched the idea to Jeff and it rolled on from there," Williamson said. "I put my heart into this year round."

Last weekend, she and a friend hosted a rummage sale in Trinity. The money was to go toward their six-member team. This year's 3-Day will take place Oct. 30 through Nov. 1 and will begin at Tierra Verde.

With local unemployment at a 33-year high and the recession looking like it will get worse before it improves, people tend to delay self-indulgent purchases during these times. Those who work at Pleasure Points haven't seen any difference in their business since they opened early last year.

The co-owners nodded their heads in unison when asked whether they were still attracting customers in spite of the lull in the local economy.

Florida has a thriving tattoo market and it is not just because bikers live and visit in high numbers.

"We cater to people of all walks of life," said Pleasure Points co-founder Jeff Fratto.

The charity money has been flowing since they started the fundraiser earlier this month. Each team member is required to raise at least $2,300 to take part in the walk, Williamson said.

Her awareness took shape in the mid-1990s when her mother was diagnosed with advanced-stage breast cancer. Her treatments saved her life, but she battled for nearly four years, she said.

Williamson, whose arms and chest are covered in ink, was especially proud of a tattoo near her right elbow. It is an image of her wearing a red scarf decorated with pink ribbons.

The ribbons are symbols of breast cancer awareness.

Every tattoo purchased at Pleasure Points includes a $5 donation to Williamson's team – whether it is a $50 job or a $1,000 job, she said. The donations will continue through Oct. 1.

Williamson's mother has her own tattoo – a pink ribbon on her foot.

Initially, she wasn't sure what to make of her daughter's interest in body art, but her point of view has changed. Williamson said her mother is hoping to cover her cancer-treatment scars with some custom-designed tattoos.

Doctors, lawyers, nurses, firefighters and profession business people regularly visit Pleasure Points for their body art. It's an ideal store for either the first-time customer or the regular customer, Fratto said.

"Tattoos were at the end of the strictly biker phase when I started (14 years ago)," said Jeff Williamson. "It's definitely more mainstream … More thought and effort goes into what customers are getting now."

A sign at the front desk lets people know some of their money will go toward charity.

"Next year, I'll do the same thing, only I'll start earlier," said Kelly Williamson. "I'll keep walking until they find a cure."

More information about Williamson's team and how to donate can be found at www.3day.org/goto/kellywilliamson.

AT A GLANCE:
Name – Pleasure Points
Owners – Jeff Fratto and Jeff Williamson
What – Custom tattooing, body piercing
Where – 10535 Spring Hill Drive, Spring Hill
Get in touch – (352) 688-6802

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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