On Partition Street in Saugerties, the lights come on inside a new tattoo parlor. Think Dracula on a road trip from the Southwest to the Catskills: gothic romance meets desert wanderer. Old films play on a TV. A playlist drifts from the Eagles to Metallica to the occasional Disney song. Handmade aftercare products sit beside racks of merch.
This is Thorn Tattoo, opened on April 1, with an official ribbon-cutting on May 9. At its center are co-owners Mary Minahan (Miss Vampira), 37, and Joanna Gacek, 33—best friends, longtime collaborators, and now business partners betting on a hometown dream.
The idea formed slowly over years working together, but the opportunity came suddenly when the New York City studio Minahan worked at—Grit N Glory—closed after 15 years, and a space in Saugerties opened up. During Winter Storm Fern, the two were walking through the village when they noticed the building was vacant—a place they’d passed hundreds of times, always imagining it as a future studio. They crossed the street to the Exchange Hotel, sat down, and within minutes decided to take the leap.
Minahan, who moved to Saugerties part-time three years ago, has been immersed in tattoo culture since she was 18. Over two decades, she moved through the industry, getting tattooed, apprenticing, tattooing, and managing shops across the country. She previously managed Zulu Tattoo in West Hollywood, working with high-end clientele and a rotating roster of artists. “I learned patience, time management, networking, finances—what to do and not to do when running a business,” Minahan says.
Her work leans into blackwork and black-and-grey portraiture, often drawing from horror and pop culture. “I have always been in the alternative space, and this medium makes me feel at home,” she says.
Gacek grew up in Zakopane, Poland, a mountain town inside Tatra National Park. The landscape shaped her relationship to creativity. “As an adult, I’ve realized that I need constant connection to nature to fuel the artistic drive within me,” she says.
After moving to New Jersey, she worked long hours in hospitality management before studying audio production at the Institute of Audio Research in New York City and working live sound. Eventually, tattooing took over, though she still plays guitar, writes songs, and occasionally performs at local open mics. She’s been tattooing for eight years, specializing in portraits and darker, atmospheric imagery.
Beyond the design itself is the responsibility of permanence and the relationships built with the people who trust them. There are hours spent researching inspiration, creating rough drafts, mapping placement, preparing sterile equipment, and choosing needles and inks that will hold over time.
That sense of connection is something Minahan and Gacek hope Thorn sustains. Much of the shop was assembled with the help of friends, keeping costs manageable after the pair jumped into the project faster than expected. They plan to collaborate with local businesses, organize flash events around the Catskills and Hudson Valley, and work wedding pop-ups.
This article appears in April 2026.
