Main St Tattoo & Body Piercing

Needed to pry my septum piercing open so I could flip it up to visit conservative family members in Merced so I stopped in to Main St and Jesse promptly greeted me and took me back. The business was very clean and well organized. Within a couple minutes, I was able to conceal my septum ring and didn’t have to go buy pliers and do it myself! Thank so much for helping me when I was in a bind!

The overall performance of the store was good. However, I was not impressed with the tattoo I received from Alayna. She did a sloppy job and did not take her time. It has spots that are not filled in and the lines are spotty. The ink didn’t really make it into my skin. I ask her to fix the tattoo but she was going to charge me to fix the tattoo. Why should I pay to fix something that she didn’t do correctly the first time?!

Friendly and understanding, this place was way more than I had expected. They took their time, kept my thoughts occupied, and gave me a beautifully done tattoo of my choice. First tattoo, second or tenth, this is the place to go!

Me & my sister went and got pierced by Angel today. I was really impressed with the vibes of the shop, very creative and inspiring. I don’t have any tattoos yet but after viewing their artists’ albums at the counter, this would definitely be my spot! But back to the piercing, I got my belly button done for a second time and was kind of panicky & Angels mannerism & tone set me at ease as she explained the whole process she was going to do and talked me through the whole way. It didn’t hurt as bad as I thought it would. My sister got her nose done & it looks super cute too, this girl knows her stuff! I also asked to see her certifications and she gladly showed me and explained their sterilization process so again I was more at ease… Thank you Angel we’ll be back again for more sister piercings! lol

I love this place! Everyone here is so friendly! I walked into this shop and I was immediately welcomed by Jordan. I had questions about tattoos and piercings and he was super informative. What impressed me the most during my visit was how clean they are with everything. They make sure that you’re comfortable with whatever service you want them to provide and they definitely go through arms length to do everything to your satisfaction! This place is a must!

Very unprofessional they told me to come back Sunday (which was Easter) but I didn’t think nothing of it till I went to my appointment at 1230 and the shop was closed… messed up part was I didn’t get no call to resedule or inform me that the shop will b close. So I called today and talk to dude and its his day off and will call me tomorrow to see if he has an opening. I’m piss that I should be the first I paid for my session. If this isn’t unprofessional I don’t know what is.

I’ve been wanting to get some ear piercings and my navel done for quite some time and finally did it today for my bday! Believe me, I’m the type of person who wants someone who knows their stuff. Especially when it comes to trusting them with your body!
Jesse was A-​M-​A-​Z-​I-​N-​G, I had my second holes pierced, naval, and cartilage on my right ear. This was such a great birthday experience and I recommend him to anyone! He always reassured me the whole time if I was doing okay with the pain, and also informed me on how to clean my piercings properly. All at a reasonable price, you can’t ask for more!

I previously wrote a negative review regarding the ownership and artists of Main Street Tattoo. I was contacted by Stephanie from the new ownership who apologized to me for my treatment from the previous owner. I do not wish to damper the success of a local business.
Although I have not gotten a tattoo from the new artists at Main Street, I am changing my rating to 4 stars based on the obvious improvement in customer service.
Good luck with your business Stephanie and Lil John.

I wanted a very large, specific, detailed, traditional pinup girl on my arm and was VERY careful in researching where and who would do this for me. After several months of research, I decided on Main St. Tattoo and am SO happy I did. The moment I walked in the door, I was treated with respect and great customer service. I did NOT have a sketch, so Sean, an incredible tattoo artist, drew an original for me that I absolutely adored. Long story short, I LOVE my tattoo, love Sean and plan on going back very soon for my other pinup girl :). The amount of professionalism the staff provides combined with the overall comfort and cleanliness of the shop make this the BEST place in Merced (and the Valley) to get a tattoo. Additionally, I want to clarify that these are NEW owners — this is NOT the «Johnny» that originally owned the shop. They may share the same name (although the new owner goes by «Little John»), but they are different people. Please keep this in mind when reading other reviews — I wouldn’t go anywhere else at this point. Great custom work, awesome artists and all-​around great people :)!!

This place sucks, Johnny is Lame, he always cancels his appointments, I made the mistake and paid him in full after that I never saw him again, Johnny thinks he’s a great tattoo artist! He’s Not. If you want tacky tattoos and body piercing I guess this place is for you. You’re better off going to the tattoo shops in Atwater or Fresno!

Came in here on a whim for a septum piercing. They made me fill out a consent form and photocopied my ID and a few minutes later I was being taken into their back room. The piercer, Jesse was super nice and chill and made me feel comfortable the entire time. I was extremely nervous but he made me feel like a champ and helped me thug it out. He was also nice enough to extend his services and said to feel free to come in if I had any problems or needed help changing the ring. The pricing here is awesome and I’m sure I would’ve had to shell out an extra 20 bucks had I gotten this done in Los Angeles. Yay for a nice piercing shop in Merced! I would def recommend Jesse to friends!
OH, and on a side note, they don’t take plastic so come in with cash. I called ahead of time and asked for an estimate.

This place is the only place to go for reasonable priced piercings and tattoos. The artists are all super friendly and talented. Jesse V. is always very informational and professional, I highly recommend him for your body mod needs. He also does amazing original traditional tattoo art. great place all arround.

I got a tattoo from here by an artist named Elena and she did a childs drawing and coloring on my back. The lines are uneven, the coloring is thick in some places and thin in other places. I have never gotten so many bad looks… I went to another tattoo shop and they said they can fix it but it is so far from the picture I showed them all they can do is make it look better. I will be going to get a redo and I wished I went to Unilocal before I decided to be spontaneous.

Been here a few times. Jesse is always down to help me out with jewelry issues/​problems, I have yet to get inked by anyone here, but wouldn’t have one single problem having any of these artists tattoo me.

Dont know of many tattoo and piercing places they have here in Merced but this is probably one of the most well known. Went to get an industrial piercing and they were very friendly. Pricing was good and the piercing itself was done clean and sanitary. id go back for another piercing

I’ve only come here to get my piercings done and I love it! Jesse is awesome!
I first came here to get my cartilage piercing. Then my conch piercing, and a week later my navel piercing. Jesse was very nice every time and informed me very clearly of what to do in order to clean it. He told me if I needed, I can always come in and ask him to change my jewelry for me. I haven’t gone in for that yet but I know if I needed to I can count on Jesse!
He also helps people change jewelry for free even if they didn’t get it pierced by him! Such a nice guy!
It’s also super easy to contact him via facebook. If I have any questions I just post it and he replies whenever he has time.
My friend got her tattoos done here, as well. She loves them!

Best place to get a piercing in Merced. And any kind of piercing. Ask for Jesse! Prices are very reasonable as well. I got my lip and cartilage piercing from Main St Tattoo’s by Jesse. They use all new, clean and sterilized needles and such. Jesse knows a lot about piercings, how to take care, what not to do, etc. He makes sure you’re happy and everything is okay with your new piercing as you walk out of that shop or even weeks later.
Not sure about the tattoos but I saw their art in front of the shop and all the tattoo artists seem very talented. They’re super chill, too. Don’t be intimidated as you walk through the doors! They are very nice people.
They do a lot of community stuff as well. They participated in the Art Hop and had local bands come and play in their shop. They also hold their own events as well to bring the community together with live music, raffle drawings, etc.
Come by if you ever need a piercing or a tattoo.