Downtown Tattoo Parlor Help Keep Community Warm
by Molly Schecklman – With the cold weather rearing its ugly head, this can be a difficult time for individuals and families who do not have or cannot afford the proper gear to keep themselves warm and sheltered from the elements.
Tommy Kirschbaum, a self-made tattoo artist and owner of The Next Generation of Midwest Tattooers, discovered a way to make this winter a little more bearable on citizens and visitors of Marshfield.
Kirschbaum and fellow employees set up a coat rack outside of the tattoo shop located on Central Avenue with a sign that reads “Need a coat? Please, take one! Want to help? Leave a coat. God Bless!” Kirschbaum and employees then began to fill the coat rack with donated coats.
“I actually saw the idea online and thought it was a super cool and easy way to help people,” said Kirschbaum. “It has been extremely self-sufficient. People take. People leave. Easy. We leave it outside 24/7. We plan on leaving it out as long as there is a need.”
Kirschbaum has a large social media following which allows for him to seek out community involvement when the coat rack is getting slim. Past posts have shown that there are just as many coats being taken as there are donated, so the need is still evident.
Aside from the coat rack, Kirschbaum and employees recently ended their Friday the 13th fundraiser. Customers could come in from 10AM to 10PM Friday and Saturday to receive a $13 Halloween tattoo. The artists created over 122 tattoos, with Kirschbaum doing 39, and raised $1,730. This money was then given to children in the homeless shelters, used for Halloween costumes for kids in the Headstart program, and then given to people who called in wishing to find a Halloween costume for their child.
Kirschbaum and employees host many benefits throughout the year. $1,500 was recently raised for a school in Nepal. Plans are in the works for a huge Christmas benefit, a hurricane Harvey drive, Apples for Kids, as well as many others.
Anyone in need of a winter coat or wishing to donate can visit the coat rack located outside of The Next Generation of Midwest Tattooers at 440 South Central Avenue in Marshfield, Wisconsin.
