My husband and I own Artisan, a tattoo shop and art gallery in the Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh. I am writing you because we are one of the businesses struggling through the penn ave construction project and now we have run into serious building code issues and may be forced to close our doors. We have started an indiegogo campaign, KeepArtisanAlive.com. We have been doing really well so far, but its hard to keep momentum going. I'm not sure if this is anything you can help with at all. I thought I would write and see if you might take the time to watch our video, possibly share our story, or even any advice at all on idea of things to do would be helpful.

We opened in 2011 in an empty store front on Penn Avenue, Artisan has grown into a community of artists with sophisticated style and renowned abilities. We have plans for a café, a hostel to bring in more global artists, and continuing to use the renovated, vintage-inspired first floor as a space to showcase local and global artists. But turning these dreams into a reality has hit a roadblock in the form of city code: The building requires ADA-compliant emergency exits in order to comply with city code.

We're hosting a six-week crowdfunding campaign through Indigogo to continue rehabbing our building. The shop, once an abandoned storefront, is now a bold stylish addition to the Penn Avenue streetscape recently saddled with heavy construction.

This is a story of passion, and its pursuit in the face of obstacles. Artisan’s community is dedicated to creating beauty – on the body, in the building and the city of Pittsburgh.