Meet Bonnie Staton | Marine Corps Veteran and Tattoo & Piercing Shop Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bonnie Staton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bonnie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Me, my Wife and my business partner do not want to be tied down to a 9 – 5. My business partner and I both work in oil and gas, and its given us some great opportunities for us to expand into the entrepreneur lifestyle. When we met our current tattoo artist, who was a long-time friend of my Wife, gave us an opening to finally get some sort of business going.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m one of three owners of the Gilded Raven Tattoos & Piercing shop in Conroe, Texas. We worked together in creating the idea of the Gilded Raven. We each have our own special role in how we contribute to the shop. The shop is my baby and I am there everyday making sure it is well taken care of. The tattoo industry is a heavy male dominated industry and being the face of the shop helps with pulls in the clientele that we want. I am a female LGTBQ+ Marine Corps veteran and want to provide a safe place for like like-minded people. Besides the other two male owners we currently have an all female/nonbinary staff. Our vision for the shop was to bring in like-minded individuals that enjoy board and card games as we do and thus became the inspiration for a Dungeons and Dragons themed tattoo and piercing shop. Having a Hello Kitty themed bathroom was a feminine touch that all clients love to talk about. The three owners had no idea what we were getting into with investing in a tattoo shop. A close friend of mine is a tattoo artist and helped us with understanding the tattoo industry. We took a shot at something we had no clue about and now we are doing great. As all new businesses, we started off slow but as time went on and spread word about us, we slowly saw our vision flourish into the tattoo shop we have today. We still have a ways to go to be the final product of our dreams and we are motivated daily by our staff, family, and friends to become what we wish to be.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My husband and I moved to Conroe just a few years ago and we have yet to see everything that the Conroe Woodlands are has to offer. I would def bring my out of town friends into my shop to check out our work first of all haha. One of my favorite places to eat is Flower Child. Some of my best friends and I are vegetarian/pescatarian and finding a delicious vegetarian meal that isn’t just a salad is hard to come by. I always take my friends to Flower Child in the Woodlands. There are a ton of nature preserves and state forests all around this area that I recommend exploring. You can find adorable wildlife and beautiful plants while taking a relaxing and safe stroll. We plan to be in the area for a long time to come so hopefully we can find all the hidden gems and meet plenty of people to be friends with.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my family for always encouraging my hobbies and aspirations. My husband for always lifting up my spirits whenever i have doubts and my son for always reminding me that I am a great mother on the days where I feel like when nothing else is working out for me. My best friends deserve recognition for helping me with inspiration and always motivating me to keep pushing forward.

Website: https://linktr.ee/gildedraven

Instagram: @gildedravenconroe

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Gilded-Raven-Tattoos-Body-Piercings/61559299871826/

Image Credits
All of the Gilded Raven Tattoo & Piercing logos were created by @jellieybeanm on Instagram. Photos were taken by the owners of the Gilded Raven. Pictures include tattoo artists Strange and Drew.