Get to the point by taking a trip through Tatmandu

Karl Ketchum says if you're going to tattoo, you've got to live it.

And the 42-year-old Detroit native certainly has done that. For the past 22 years, he's applied tattoos on thousands of bodies in Los Angeles, Hollywood, Florida and New York.

His motto is from "coast to coast and Tijuana."

And now we can add Cape Girardeau to that list. Ketchem and his wife, Stella Blue, opened his newest tattoo parlor, Tatmandu, on Friday at 733 Broadway.

They moved here from Springfield about a month ago, where he was one of the lead artists for a popular tattoo parlor. He, his wife and their new baby moved to Cape Girardeau to start their own tattoo parlor.

You can probably tell that Karl likes to do things his own way. He doesn't do negative work -- no marijuana leaves, no racist work, nothing to do with Hitler, and he won't even do a "born to lose" tattoo.

"I don't want any part of calling anybody a loser," he said. "We're going to keep things positive here."

He and his wife Stella -- who also will do tattoos -- are well-rounded artists. They both are musicians and songwriters. Stella plays guitar, drums, saxophone and keyboards, and Karl plays what he describes as "finger-picking guitar" and a harmonica.

Don't be surprised, he said, to catch them playing together somewhere in town.

To those of you who are always bad-mouthing Cape Girardeau's culture (and I've been guilty of that on occasion), Karl said he chose this town because of its abundance of it.

"Springfield is bigger, has more colleges, but no culture -- zero," he said. "But here, there are open-mike nights and murals everywhere. Plus, there's a very snappy college population. You people probably take it for granted, but we picked up on it."

Plus, Karl says he's got a mother-in-law who would "probably hang me if I took Stella out of state."

Karl said he didn't let the competition stop him from coming to Cape Girardeau and its several tattoo spots.

"I enjoy competition," he said. "Provided it's someone doing good, clean, sanitary work. That's our primary focus."

He said he has 20,000 different designs people can choose from, including eagles, sailors, anchors, hearts with "mom" in them, Oriental work, etc.

Karl said that tattoos have changed, but only slightly.

"There's still Betty Boop, but now she's wearing latex," he said. "Lady Luck in the martini glass is a little sexier. But I always tell people not to worry about what's fashionable now. What's in vogue today won't be tomorrow. You may has well just pick something that you like."

You'll recognize Karl because he may own the company, but he's also a participant. He has tattoos all over -- full coverage of his arms and back and a couple smaller ones on his chest. His right leg is completely covered.

Karl is also optimistic about his business prospects.

"It'll succeed," he said. "I might just eat peanut butter this year. That's OK, as long as we move on to peanut butter and jelly next year. That will be fine."

Magic tan

As an old friend of mine used to tell me that I was whiter than a Safeway chicken. That applies to me on two fronts: I have no rhythm, and I have blinding-white skin.

For people like me, there's Abracadabra Tan, a new tanning salon whose owners, Shamela Limbaugh and Janet White, hope to open in December. The business will be at 885 N. Kingshighway.

But this is the latest in tanning technology. The sun can cause cancer, but this is a non-UV booth that Limbaugh promises will help people achieve uniform spraying of self-tanning lotion all over the body.

The gimmick is in the spray system, which generates tiny "magnetic" droplets to get this effect. What is sprayed on is (1) a temporary bronzer which dyes the skin until it gets washed off and (2) a self-tanning chemical called DHA which causes pigment changes in the skin (which Limbaugh says will last about two weeks).

"You go in, and it's a mist that sprays on in 28 seconds and then as the day goes on you get darker," she said. "It's the most recent technology. It's become a hot item."

The business will also feature an infrared body wrap machine, which she says will help people lose weight or treat chronic back pain. They will also have some stand-up regular tanning booths.

Pop's still open

Those of you who tried to go to Pop's Pizza within the last few weeks may have been greeted by a bulldozer, some dirt work and a "closed" sign. But don't worry, one of the area's last true pizza joints isn't closing.

They just had to fix some busted water lines. It's back open now.

Scott Moyers is the business editor for the Southeast Missourian. Send your comments, business news, information or questions to Biz Buzz, 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699, e-mail smoyers@semissourian.com or call 335-6611, extension 137.