A popular tattoo shop in Peoria’s Warehouse District has closed its doors after over 20 years in business.
Freedom Ink closed up shop May 17 after nearly two decades in business. Opened by renowned tattoo artist Tim Beck in 2006, the shop moved to the Warehouse District in 2016, where it remained until its recent closure.
The shop said in a social media post that those who were at the store on its final day showed a strong amount of love to those who kept trucking on with the business even after Beck died in 2024 after a battle with colon cancer.
“Our incredible friends in the tattoo community showed up and showered our family with support, business advice, and a deep sense of kinship,” the post said. “So many people were able to purchase incredible pieces from Tim’s lifelong collection to place in their homes and tattoo shops all over the country.”
Beck had been in the tattoo business for nine years when he opened Freedom Ink in Peoria Heights in 2006, hoping to provide a “comfortable, clean, (and) relaxed environment to get a tattoo,” according to Journal Star archives.
Despite earning national and international awards for his tattoo work, Beck decided to stay in Peoria, rejecting offers to go to a larger market as he wanted to bring people to Peoria. In 2016, he moved Freedom Ink to the Warehouse District.
Beck was diagnosed with colon cancer in October 2022, although he continued to run the store. He died on Jan. 22, 2024, at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center, survived by his wife, Charlotte, and their three children.
Earlier this year, a group of Freedom Ink employees split off to form Brass Eagle Tattoo, also located in the Warehouse District. Owner Zach Dole said he made the move as a way to “make (his) own mark” in Peoria alongside that of Beck.
Anyone who still has outstanding gift cards for Freedom Ink can redeem them with Chad Ramsay at Illinois Tattoo Company in Bloomington. Those with questions about the redemption plan can contact Illinois Tattoo at (309) 454-2299.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Popular Peoria Warehouse District tattoo shop closes its doors
Reporting by Zach Roth, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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