Meet Randy Lee Woods | Grateful Texas Artist, Tattoo Studio Owner & Friend

We had the good fortune of connecting with Randy Lee Woods and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Randy Lee, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I think the desire to work independently sparked early on in grade school.  Since I was 9 or 10 years old I mowed yards and did odd jobs whenever I could to make my own money.  Once I’d hit my teens I knew following orders was not for me and that I’d participate in doing it much less once I was out of school with full control over my life.  I think that, combined with the entrepreneurial spirit I’d witnessed consistently from my father growing up- going into business for myself one day was inevitable for me to attempt and I always kept my eyes peeled for a way to try.  As my infatuation in my later teens grew for tattoos and I began tattooing, the hope of one day opening a tattoo studio grabbed me and thankfully never let go.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

Bayou City Tattoos is a well rooted, tattoo & piercing studio on the Northwest side of town.  A place where so many clients become friends, and so many of those friends become family..  I opened Bayou City 17 years ago on 11/16/2006. Tried & true today, but it was far different back then.  To be totally honest what I thought I was getting myself into and what I had gotten myself into were totally different things and I laugh thinking back to some of the dumb choices I had to learn from during those first 5-7 years in business. The shop stayed busy though, my business “lessons” had leveled out and we pushed on strong until 2017 when Hurricane Harvey blessed my studio with around 6 feet of floodwater destroying everything.

The rebuild and rebirth of the studio following the flood was a major test of resolve and one I am personally so grateful for.  It not only exposed who my real friends and family were but it pushed me to dig up and tap into some capabilities within myself that were nonexistent til then.  It seemed that I got just the right help at just the right times between my Son and some friends here and there but those days were nothing easy. They sucked lol..  Fortunately being stubborn paid off and by refusing to give up every time I’d hit another impasse I eventually overcame those challenges. Because of so many trials, I carry around many good lessons I’ve learned along the way.

A few I’d like to share today:
1. Disregard the naysayers and keep guard of the mission at hand.  It all comes down to YOUR OWN actions or lack thereof. There are no shortcuts, DO the hard stuff you don’t want to do head on, or have the consequence of double-doing them for double-time later.
2.Those you allow to join your team and work beside you can make all the difference, good or bad. So choose carefully.
and
3.If you want your clients to love you and your business for what you do, then do what you do for them with love. Plain and simple..

That last one touches on a characteristic that I feel sets the Bayou City tattoo family brand apart from so many.  Every single one of my teammates attempt to capture our clients voice when we create for them, separating our ego from “client care” which in return fosters the most genuine client/artist relationships I’ve experienced along the way.
Come see for yourself.

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?
Fortunately there are so many incredible places available to check out if you are visiting H-town.  Art -in nearly every form- is everywhere in our city. You could literally attend an art show, a concert, a museum exhibit, hit up a “Drink & Draw” event, snag a fresh new tattoo and finish the day off at a different craft brewery every day of the week.  We are a hub for live entertainment from Theater to a number of live sports events to Comedy Shows (be sure to check out “THE SECRET GROUP” COMEDY CLUB on Polk St.) and anything in between.  On most any given weekend you can find a festival of some kind going on, Car Shows, Gun Shows, Pop Up Events and HOUSTON RODEO time is pretty cool here too.  Any food, almost anywhere, almost anytime PLUS 58 WHATABURGER LOCATIONS around town to never let us down. 
Me personally, I spend my evenings and weekends with my clients and team in the tattoo shop making cool tattoos and other art commissions.  I love it there, the vibes are right on and the art is everywhere..
I recommend adding us to your route when you’re visiting Houston and having a member of the team at “Bayou City Tattoos” over on Hwy 6 show ya some love.  It’s a pretty special place and local favorite.  We’d love anyone curious to come be our guest.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

There’s a handful of individuals I’d like to recognize for their impactful roles played in “where I am today”.

First, my wife “La”.  Her steadfast loyalty, hard work and seamless love thru the good, bad & the ugly while we grow business and life together truly make her the tie that binds our entire operation.

Secondly, it’s appropriate that I recognize an old friend named Clynt.
It was several years into my career before crossing paths and eventually doing a guest spot in his studio where our friendship began.  Over time there were many influences of his that helped me to connect many dots in my own career as a tattoo artist and studio owner that I am continually grateful for.   But I’d say the most valuable thing gained from his support was given by his own example, he showed me the way to unapologetically believe in myself, while turning a deaf ear to self-doubt and naysayers.  That support was pivotal when facing the challenges involved with rebuilding and expanding my studio post Hurricane Harvey.

And last but certainly not least I want to shoutout my highly esteemed teammates here at my studio.  I am blessed to work alongside of such an awesome, hardworking, honest and talented down to earth group of gals.  Each one individually brings something very special to the team and collectively they spread harmony  between ourselves and our clients while truly caring about the level of quality they produce in their trade.

Their names are Stormie @HoustonBodyPiercing, Anahi @DeadGirlTatting,

Kiwi @Kiwi.Tattoos96 and Missy  @BurdockMadness.  I encourage anyone to look these ladies up for themselves.

Also, a huge shoutout to the small but impactful books “The Compound Effect” and “War of Art” .. Read them both TWICE at least and thank me later.

Website: www.bayoucitybodyshop.com

Instagram: @randyleeart and @bayoucitytattoos

Facebook: facebook.com/bayoucitytattoos

Image Credits
credit: @BayouCityTattoos