Blood is Thicker Than Ink - Interview with Kari Barba
Kari Barba has been tattooing for four decades. She is the owner of Outer Limits, the longest-running tattoo studio in America and the first tattoo shop owned by a woman. Today, she’s followed by two more generations: her son Jeremiah and her granddaughter Mia Barba.
What kind of person makes the best role model?
I believe a true role model should be calm and collected — someone who leads with honesty and integrity. They should work hard, respect others, and value different opinions and needs. Most importantly, a good role model is someone who does — or has done — what they expect of others. They lead by example, not just words.
Who is your favorite rebel?
Possibly Harriet Tubman. She’s the definition of courage and conviction — someone who risked everything for what she believed in. To me, that’s the kind of rebellion that changes the world.
Do you believe in ghosts?
You’re never gonna believe this, but yes — our shop in Long Beach actually has a ghost. We call him Cris.
When we took over the shop and started remodeling, our construction crew began having all these weird little accidents — cuts, bruises, tools going missing. One of the guys found a few odd things under the floor — tin cups, bits of old cigarettes, and even a small Bible.
That same day, a plaster guy came in to give an estimate. As soon as he walked in, he got this strange look on his face and asked if he could talk to me outside. Once we stepped out, he said, “You’re not gonna believe this, but you have someone in there — sitting in that folding chair — and he’s not happy.”
Apparently, years ago there was an apprentice who accidentally died, supposedly from sniffing paint on the roof. We don’t know for sure if that’s our ghost, but strange things kept happening until one of our construction guys — who happened to be a medium — spent some time “talking” with him. After that, things lightened up.
Now, Cris is kind of a prankster — we’ll catch a chair moving on its own or see something flicker out of the corner of our eye. He’s still around, but these days, he’s more of a friendly spirit. Our ghost has become part of the family.
Tattoos used to be illegal in some places. Do you have any stories from that time?
Personally, I’m too young to remember the days when tattoos were fully underground, but I do remember when they were still illegal in Massachusetts. When I started tattooing in the late ’70s, you couldn’t legally get a tattoo there. People had to travel out of state or find someone willing to tattoo in secret.
It’s wild to think how far the industry has come — from being something you had to get “on the black market” to being celebrated as art.
Kari Barba works out of Outer Limits Tattoo in Long Beach California.
Adam (our CEO) at Outer Limits: June 2009