For thirty five years, Cindy Stumpo has been a female home builder with a
passion for design, a mastery of detail, and a commitment to her crack.
With daughter Samantha Stumpo by her side, I don't need my whole family
on a date with me. That's a good note. It's godemn weird.
See. Stumpo Development is the only second generation female construction company in the country.
You're crazy, You're a wacko, You're insane. I mean, it
just doesn't end together. Cindy and Samantha welcome guests to explore the world of
construction, real estate, development, design and more. Unpredictable. Every time
I think I know what you want, you switch it out. But that's
what makes your houses all your day. Discuss anything that happens between the roof
and the foundation. Nothing is off limits. You truly do care about everybody.
She can yell at chi can scream, but when you get her alone,
she's the best person on the planet. Cindy Stumpo is tough as nails.
Yea and welcome back to Cindy Stumpo Toughest Nails on WBZ News Radio ten
thirty. I'm here tonight with my daughter Samantha, and I have my son
chat stumble again with me. Wow, this is crazy. Okay, So
tonight in the studio we have drumlow, drum roll. Who Oh? Hi
am I Jason? Jason? Yes, you've been using too much ink?
Okay? Maybe all right, I want to introduce yourself one more time.
You are who Hi, I am Jason Zubi. I am the owner of
the Boston Tattoo Company. There we go, There we go. So last
time you were in the studios about four years ago, roughly. Yeah,
A lot's going on for years. It has. We've had vaccination shots,
we've had COVID. What have we had since I've seen you last time?
Well, uh, you haven't had a tattoo? No, that's chat Okay,
can we ink him? No? No, all right, we'll go
to chat in a minute, but right now we're gonna stay with you.
Jason. How did you guys do? How'd you get through COVID? And
COVID was a was a roller coaster, you know, honestly, it was.
You know, right prior to COVID, we were in the process of
expanding to a fourth location, and it just kind of crept up out of
nowhere. And shut us down for almost one hundred days straight all over.
So no tattoos, no piercing, nothing, nothing. No. I mean,
I can't speak for other people during that time, but I mean the
shops were officially like shut down, and you know, and how long they
keep you down for before you reopen It was I think it was close to
one hundred days, one hundred straight days off of just and then when you
did reopen, did you have to do it it relsted with a plastic between
Yeah, yeah, so I mean we kind of like, you know,
it was it was really like the first week or so back like after being
shut down for one hundred days, trying to put all those precautions and you
know, building walls and yeah, it was so stupid waste of money,
it was. Yeah, but you know, yeah, you know it's just
plexiglass in between people. Thing like you know, we weren't fortunate like restaurants.
Like a restaurant could just put their seating outside and and it was handled
like for us like we were stuck. You could have a certain amount of
people in the shop, you know, you could have people working as close
to one another. So I mean, you know, I as the owner,
you know, your first you know, instinct is to just keep everybody
safe. Nobody knew what was happening at the time, so I mean,
you know, everyone tried to wear masks that that in and of itself caused
a huge commotion. Now, could you bring the stuff home with you and
do any tattoos at your house if you wanted to know? You know,
yes, I mean anyone could, and a lot of people did. And
a lot of people, you know, I'm not speaking for me personally,
I think that was you know, over the industry. A lot of people
just got used to working at home and said, hey, I ain't going
back, you know, And that was kind of like how we were in
like one spot, uh, prior to COVID, we were on the up
and up. We have money in the bank, we we had a you
know, uh hearing set for Boston and order you know, to get our
permitting and got shut down and then you know how to suspend all of that
and then eventually you know how to whittle things back down to that's a good
part as you're here today. Yeah, yeah, you know weapon well,
but again, yes, and let me tell you, after COVID, a
lot of people started getting tattoos. They were using that COVID money, the
unemployment money, and they were tatting their broll. We let's talk about this.
What's up with tattoos? And can I just say something and you can
call me old fashion? It's okay because I know you're gonna okay, that's
good. That's good because I'm carrying right now. You don't want to call
me No, I'm playing with that. No, not playing. But with
that being said, I'm never playing. Why does my son have to have
this thing on his neck? Can you take a look at this name?
Like? Is that do you think he does? Is to torture me?
Take a look at it? What the heck does this thing mean? Stuff
that I have? I got a home watch of stuff? Okay? Can
you guys put your tattoos from your neck down with your shirt covers things?
The wrong guy and my next Yeah you're not. I wouldn't even know you
had a tattoo. Yeah, what else? Sounding? I don't know what
the word is? Uh? You know. I have my opinions on like
white people get certain tattoos. I want your opinion. Why do people do
it? Is a self identity crisis? Is it? It's something from your
trauma, like you haven't become from a void. And I can't speak for
anybody else, you know, So I think some people definitely do it to
grab attention. And that's why you see, like before you would like,
you know, call me old fashioned. You know, I'd like to keep
them hidden. You know, you'd never know. Some people do the exact
opposite, Like they start on their necks, they start on their hands,
they start in all the places you can hide, and they kind of work
their way backwards. It's you know, uh, that's great if you've got
money in the bank and you ourself, you know, and even me,
like you know, as a tattoo artist, I sometimes see people and I'm
like, I'd never hire this person, Like I don't know what people are
thinking, like this is my business, and I think I So you see
a lot you see a lot of garbage tattoos out there too. Well they
didn't even garbage, but it's just like you know, like if I see
if you know, I was in the hospital and I got to see it,
the nurse with a neck tattoo. I'm thinking twice, I mean,
go see Sammy, what I say so and he's a tattoo on ust.
You get judged. If I see a nurse with a tattoo on it,
don't want her working on me. The how's that? Because I think she's
promiscuous and this is crazy and and all these things go to my head and
I wanted with that. Okay, so but you see how we do we?
I like think, oh, this kid was a trouble kid, he
was a punk, this dad, you know, but it's not like that
anymore. I really wish I could say I understood they. You know,
why do you get tattoos? Why did I get him? Why did you
why did you start start? Yeah? You know, I when I was
a kid, so what I you know, I did not come from a
tattooed family, Like my parents weren't tattooed. I had a cousin that when
he won went to college, you got a tattoo, which I thought was
cool and it was hidden and nobody knew about it. It was like this,
like really big deal. My father had a guy that had a grim
Reaper tattoo done on his arm, and I thought, I thought he was
the coolest guy. And I would always like stare at it and whatever,
and then you know, uh, you know kind of read the Magazine's always
kind of fascinated with it always, you know, like to draw. I
was always into that. I just kind of like, you know, when
I was in college, there happened to be a tattoo shop that was owned
by a friend's girlfriend, or my friend's girlfriend knew the guy that owned the
tattoo shop in town, and that was kind of like my foot in the
door. Wait minute, you're how old? Forty nine? Okay, So
I don't know when it became legal in Massachusetts, but I remember all the
kids, I'm fifty nine, the kids just ruption ham should get them.
Yeah, so it became legal about twenty years ago, and that's roughly the
time where I moved to messages. So only twenty years ago was it legal
to get the tattoo in Massachusetts? Really? Yeah, I did not know
that. I didn't know it was legal here. Yeah. Well I know,
but when you think it's only been twenty years that's been legal, So
why was it illegal? It was about the hygiene of it, you know
it. You know, it is a lot of a lot of guys that
I know, A lot of them got a lot of hepsy up into Hampshire
from tattoos and they didn't know back then, right the needles I guess weren't
all clean whatever that was. Yes, that definitely. The guys that like
are in their sixties, they used to have the union workers. They give
blood whatever they find out found out like twenty years you got hepsibut it,
you got you know, and they can they weren't IV users, they weren't
you know, shooting whatever they figured it. They see, you can get
it a number of ways. But yes, tattooing dirty tattooing would definitely you
know, cause that and then there are so many courses now and so so
many precautions and things that we have to do and buy equipment wise, that
it's you know, I have personally been in sidentist offices where I've seen the
cross contamination that they do as like workers, and I'm like, yo,
you just touched that and you just grab the drawer handle and everything else like
that. Like me, like it takes me five minutes to take a piss
in a public place because yeah, I'm well I always forget it, you
know, I scares in the door knob, I do, I really washed
my hands, take the off with me and then open the door knob and
then throw out the trash bargeta before I started to here? Did we act
like that before COVID? Huh? Did we act like that before COVID?
I've always been like that. Yeah, I'm shot. So I'm sure every
time you take a break or something, you change your clothes before you go
back here? You do? Were you just like when you you you know
when you I boys hold that fight, I gotta go to break. I'm
sitty Stumpy and listen to his nails and w b Z will be right back,
sponsored by Floor and Decor, National Lumber and Village Bank. Who I'm
city Stump and welcome back to tap his nails on WBZ. And we are
here with Samantha, we're here with Chad, and we're also here with Jason.
Now, why is your name spelled with a Z? You're gonna have
to ask my grandfather that one. I don't know. Should we pronounce it?
It's Jason? Oh? No, it's Jason Zubie. No, but
Jason is j A S O N. Yes, but they still call you
jay zon? Is that is that like a French name or something? Well?
Why was switching his cheers? Okay, okay, but j A z
the teachers pronounces jazz on. No just Jason. Oh j A s o
n is Jason. Maybe you have a typo here, it's it's how do
you spell your name, Jason j A s O N? Type of era
zoobie zu b you put j A z o N. That's what I'm trying
to say tonight. Such a role and you had to. It was a
little spicy a little bit. James jays On, how my how's my producer
looking right now? Okay? Thank you? Like I'm not messed up in
the head enough. He's gonna give me the tricause there's so many people in
his industry that put them little accent on their name. It makes my eyes
roll, Like Jason Jon, I'm like, I swear he said, it's
apt with a mess and then you know it's did you still go to this
later? Figure out that's awesome? Well, how's that going? The sun
here? Okay? Damn bam, that's what I put on the eggs at
the bed and breath. What were you just talking about that? I had
to rudely take you guys out of conversation about like just the meetings behind the
tattoos. Yeah, yeah. I mean everything I've had on my body and
I can't feel will continue to put. Why don't you explain what's love your
body? Please? No? No, no, no, I mean you
have no no, you don't explain, Jason, tell me what's aw my
son's left. You couldn't you can't explain. Just look at it. He's
gonna know what they are. Just put your sleep up. Not that one?
Okay? What is that thing? It looks like an eyeball? Yeah,
yeah, yeah, it's something about time. Obviously he's got to the
clockhands in that way. You know why what he's looking at it? Know
what it says? What is the second there? Oh no, it's just
that's just like an eye looking Who did that? Yeah? Yeah, he's
a great job. Okay. And then what's the other stuff? Yeah?
It half of this. They all just stop doing that and you stop hiring
them because then they go and you cause competition for yourself. They all work
for you at one point. And then what is the what does he have
there? This? You must be a water signed to the spirited as a
spirit animal? Cancer? Are I called it? You're a cancer to like
me? She's the worst sign, is it? Yeah? Well, the
second sign. We we have empathy for everybody. Wait, but no,
if you heard us, we will absolutely nihilate you. But but then you
hug them, and then we hugged them fifteen minutes later. Yeah, it's
a whole few session. And then five minutes later we're done and the other
press is going and then we go, hey, you want to go to
get a bite team and they go, what'el mad at you? That's why
I bring food all the time. I get it. You know, it's
always let's get something to eat. You know. I always raised Italian,
believe it, even though my name is Jay z Own, you know,
and that's who raised me. Would you say people want more tattooes now post
pandemic? So getting back to how it was, so when we reopened,
we had one hundred days worth of appointments that were backed up on top of
everybody else that wanted to get in. So you had this like a huge
boom where everything was like laid down and then everybody got It's almost like people
getting used to working at home. Like it's over, like it goes back
to normal. Like people are trying to cherry pick what they can keep and
what needs to go back to normal. So like you know, my guys,
you know, or and girls or whatever, they kind of get used
to this mode of like, oh, we do everything by appointment now,
like you know, no walkings, and I'm like, that's we're entitled the
majority of our best well I mean yeah, I mean it was just such
a to covid. If I walked and sit here, I want to rows
on my ankle, you'd say two three hours, come back. It depends
no, can he answer for his business? Thank you check? Yeah,
most it depends on the tattoo shop. My shop in particular. Could I
walk in and say, look when I was on when I had my TV
show on HGTV, the Big tattoo Artist, she was running the same time
I was, uh, Miami, she was Miami. What's her name?
Cat Cat Cat Okay, okay, And people walk in there they're still getting
appointments three hours later, like they did, walk in and say, can
I get appointment this? Yeah, well you build a house in an hour,
you know, like yeah, exactly means no. It's and that's another
thing. But people watch it on TV and then they think they can come
in and get a sleeve in two days, and it's a little bit more
than that, you know, and it's you know, so we need to
educate the customers that's coming in, especially when they don't have that experience and
they want to get tattooed. But what else sounding condescending because it's like a
broken record. You have the same conversation ninety percent of the time, over
and over and over again. Okay, how many times do people want to
remove them? And it seems very hot to remove them? I've gotten some
tattoos removed. Yeah, hurts, it works. You know how often we
tell it's the technology has come long enough and now they do it where it's
basically one corporation that runs all of the tattoo removal. They've like acquired everything
and it basically it's like a subscription where you go and you just get it
done rather than do the session. You buy it in the package. It's
very tidy. See like I actually we're gonna use it. We're gonna we're
gonna use chat to Like what is why why does he need to rose on
his hand? Like what does that mean? I don't know, ask him,
but what's wrong with his brain that he does things like that? I'm
jumping out of planes? What about tattoos? What's wrong? Like, what's
he thinking when he goes? You know, I don't think there's anything wrong.
And then he's that palm tree, some marijuana thing. What's that thing?
Poetry? Immortality? Well you are not immortal. Well listen, I'm
here for a good time, not a long time. Okay, But that's
just that's just how my life. I'm agrenaline junkie. So black Rose is
I'm not afraid of that. That is it's part of life. My cross
is that I have two sizes of me. I'm one with God. But
you want to see the virgo side, and that's something I don't like that
on the finger, right, like I think that say that like in high
school you lived up in New Hampshire. When I see that, right,
but when I see there's there is a threshold where like tattoos also become like
a fashion, part of fashion, where like why do people get their hair
green? Why do people get piercings? Why do people get tattooed? Here
it's you know, I would just say this, if you're going to tattoo,
whatever part of the body it is, you should not look for the
cheapest place. And the first thing people come in like and they're like,
what's your cheapest tattoo? I automatically just kind of like file them in like
a person that doesn't really care what they get, and they're not really there
for like a quality. Not to say like it's it's not out there or
whatever it is, but like you should prioritize and consult with the artists because
I hate doing getting put in a position where like I have to tell somebody
no, but I would rather have them not not have my name onto something
that is not going to heal or look good over time. I'm sorry,
but women, I'm not going to look good with tattoos at the age after
the age of fifty, when the skin starts to go down and skin changes,
women look stupid, men look good. You tattoos are not at all
SAgs and it's not going to look like So what if that's at least you
guys hold on longer. You got better legs, you like, stay longer,
better looking, Yes, tattoos. I am curious as to see what
the old age homes are going to start to look like as we get into
it. I can already see them all the timers, like at the shows,
can see it were like they were like so ahead of their time.
You see what it looks like. You know, it doesn't look good,
but the thing is like here's the thing, right, This is what I
used to love about tattooing, which is really gone. And I can say
this like in the past it was an underground thing where like there were people
there that were so counterculture. You could have a really good, honest conversation
and you weren't judged by anything, and it was very open minded and it
was cool and it was just magical. And it was more from me looking
back from my age. It was if I saw guy walk by the tattoo
as a young girl, I'd want to move close to my father, right
because I'd feel that person was scary, right, or all your freaking Holly
drive is. And then going up to Laconia, Laconia on Laconia Weekend,
like those were some bad dudes up there. You had your Hell's Angels and
all those mostcycled groups. We have it, we have evolved, you know,
I don't. That's my brain as like, but then I go to
then I go to hold On tattooed, right, come on, because now
I go I went to pe Town like two years ago, and like everybody
had tattoos there too, So I'm like, okay, I'm not afraid you
guys. So I'm not afraid of those guys either now, Like so the
fear factor has I don't know, there was a time when you saw a
guy walk buy you at a tattoo, you thought some something crazy was going
to happen. That's just me. I'm on the PGA tour. So it
has changed and with that, so that's converse. Yeah, and so has
the mentality behind it. Where it was very you know, it wasn't as
popular and accepted, so those people tended to you know, water sinks its
own level, you know, now it's it's a flood. Okay, But
again it's again I'm gonna say, I think people want to show their their
masculinity by having a tattoo, and I think that's now come to it's not
about that. I think it's more about expressing whatever you want to express.
That you're a screwed up from you being in these boughts of tattoos to prove
yourself. I don't know, and hold that thought. Okay, we're going
to break. I'm citty stopping. Listen, to his nails at w BZ
and we'll be right back sponsored by Pellow Windows of Boston next day, Molding
and Kennedy Carpet. Going to take a red train att, I don't care
where, and welcome back to toughest Nails on w b Z. And I'm
here with Samantha. I'm changing everybodys name I'm getting there. You're gonna be
shod. Chad's name is really Chadwick. Maybe we should change over here.
Don't go that Michael Michael That no Shod. We'll call him Shot. Okay.
My father was I was pregnant. I'll give you you real fast.
My I'm pregnant with Chad. And on the ninth month, yeah I know,
imagine I was pregnant chat on the eighth month or whatever, seventh month,
I decided was gonna name him Chad Stump O Chad Michael Stump. Before
that, what's that? Before I was actually going between Jared and Chad,
and my father's like, no, Jared, They're gonna call him Jerry.
So I'm like, okay, well I found the name Chad, and I
thought. My father goes, okay, you're gonna name my grandson Chad I
go, yeah, he goes, he'd better be really good looking and very
tough. Okay, Cindy, you give him a hard name to carry.
I go, how could I not give a good looking kid and not a
tough kid. I guess Papa knew about being a Chad. No Chad,
he just thought that was a tough name to carry. He carries that name
Chad good. Perfect, we call him Chad. And you had Jayson yep.
Okay, and she's Samantha. Okay, all right, go back to
our conversation. So, yeah, the fear of tattoos now, don't bother
me. Actually, another one of my clients, great guy. I don't
know if you know, doctor Presty. He does men's here. You mentioned
him the last time. Yeah, I mean he's loaded, but you wouldn't
nothing above the neck. But the first time I met him, and I
was I was there with Ray and he, you know, he crossed his
legs. I'm like, well, what's that, dude? You get snakes
and stuff off your legs, right, He's like, oh, Sydney,
I'm totally loaded. He's well you see that. I would then say that's
a guy that doesn't and try to put it out there and try to be
something. No, nothing, you know, I mean, like you said,
a person is a person. But like, yeah, I've I've I've
had people come in and you know, I had a guy that was going
to jail and he's like, load me up with tattoos. I want to
look like a hard ass in the yard. See, like I swear like
that was it. I'm like, okay, like you know, I don't
think guys and you don't really think you're a hot ass. Lest those tattoos.
They don't care what you look like. They're gonna go at you.
See if you got it or not. You just don't want chat's a pretty
boy, they'll be and it wouldn't be good for Chip. So okay,
So tattoos are now a form of art just on your body. Now,
Is that what we've come down to? No, we're starting to see where
like it went from that, that biker culture, and they're very like I
guess they call it gate keeping or whatever it is. Like it used to
be like you'd have to know somebody, you'd have to prove yourself. It
is not. There was no YouTube, there were no books. It was
very passed along and it was hard to learn that stuff and underground not underground,
but I mean you know you maybe have five tattoo shops in New Hampshire,
maybe ten, That is going to be at least five hundred really,
yeah, you know, even around here like ever since COVID, like they
know, our shore has exploded, there's gotta be like tons of tattoo shops
where there wasn't any. Like you look at Danvers and Peabody and sale them.
It's it's they all have shops now. Huh yeah, yeah, it's
just like I don't know what the put it's you this way. You know,
the industry has changed. There are more tattoo shops than there are McDonald's.
So people want to think that they're special. They're not. I hate
to break it to everybody else out there. That is how mainstream it is
now. Yes, so tattoos on special anymore, you know, But I
guess what would make them special is they are good of an artist. You
are the uniqueness of being and calling yourself a tattoo artist and working in a
shop. And there used to be some sort of like it's so commonplace now
that there's one hundred. Now what is While you're talking, what's on your
arm right there? This one here, yeah, oh, let me see
that. Okay, hold on, let me see that. Yeah, but
see I can see that that's a man with long hair or an ugly woman?
Which one you're big randonly. I got that tattoo twenty years ago a
wild night, a wild weekend, and I decided that I was going to
get my tattooed for uh. I was going to get my uh my forearm
tattooed if I could kill this. But what happened to another guys or woman
whatever is doing your tattooed? You know you're better hotist than them? Do
you help them along? I know? I mean I get tattooed from people
that are better for me where I want to learn, And I'm like watching
this guy and probing him and asking him, what how do you do this
or how do you do that? So every time I sit down with a
guy, it's the top tier guy and then usually but by the end of
the conversation he's booking a trip to Boston and working out here for the next
two weeks. Really yeah, So I mean it's like he was saying,
like, there's a lot of tattoo shops and then everyone's a good artist in
this series that was twenty years ago. Yeah, but that was unheard of
twenty I know. But look at how real the face looks. Yeah,
I mean this guy, look at the skin twenty years old. They hear
colored even in color that help up really nic Yeah, yeah, you know.
I mean part of it is I have good skin and pale, you
know, despite the name. Yeah, but see I know your a very
wife or an Italian, but look at Chad. See he's got beautiful skin.
He's just covering up that beautiful all. This is what I like at
this. I got you right here first, and what is that? That's
really bad? He's got Cindy and then the sixty nine next to it?
You can't well, I know what that means, but I mean, I
don't know. Like I try to explain to people sometimes where they're like they
know what it means. I'm like, should he have Cindy or Mom?
If you're going to do that tattoo, would that be Cindy? We have
Dad, Joe Seammy. Personally, I wouldn't do either neither, you know
what I mean, because that's not your thing. But Mom and Dad don't
have my name tattooed on them, So you know what's up with that.
But if you're gonna put if you're going to put your parents, to put
mom and dad or you put their first name, if you're going to do
it, I mean I would, I would say it's for for a mom
and a dad. But it all depends on the design too, depends on
the tattoo getting and mom and dad just didn't Why I didn't want that like
that? Okay? Who my parents' names are? Who they are? Okay?
So I have a lot of people I've met recently the last few years
that want, especially men, they put their mom's faces on their backs,
shoulder blades, arms. What is that all about? Why do I see
a lot of that lately when their moms passed away. Well, so that's
when I would do something like that. When someone comes and they say,
to what am memorial tattoo? I feel like that's the best way to do
it rather than just get the name of the date. I mean, it
all really depends. You know. We have a guy, a couple that
is just they're fantastic portrait artists. Really, I got tattooed. I got
my dog's tattooed on my legs maybe a couple of months ago from this guy.
You wouldn't put your mother and father put you put your dogs. I
mean, I'm gonna put my ree portsra it because my dogs love me,
because she do un conditioning. Oh boy, yeah, they're gonna watch this.
They're gonna be happy. We know you love him. He just must
have been a trouble child. Were you a trouble child? No? Were
you a good kid? You had to be your cancer that I'm blaming your
parents now because I cancer people, good people? Which mom and dad was?
What's that? Which your mom and dads? Siens? Uh? I
don't know. December and June. I don't know another June my father's seventh.
Oh is Gemini black and white? No? Gray, you're well great
Gemini Gemini's wait a minute, oh Capricorn. Yeah, but Germany you can't
put Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, but no, I'm with a Gemini.
I'm gray, he's black and white. It's always all right. So
back to well, I know the personality. How many shops do you have
right now? And are you looking to expand? Yeah? So, uh,
currently we have three tattoo shops. We just opened up on Newberry Street.
Uh earlier this month, which was is great. I love it.
It's an awesome neighborhood. Took a long long time. It's always been like
that. To me, is always been my like where I always wanted to
be since I moved here. The circumstances, honestly, after COVID, you
know, I had three shops. We closed one for a couple of different
reasons, got back down to the two. Was trying to simplify my life,
and my building was bought out and I was told that I needed to
vacate the premises. So I spent about two years having to go through the
process of relocating and zoning and getting the approvals. So I literally had two
shops going at the same time. And then you know, the month we
were ready to move out and everything was approved, we were told that we
didn't have to move. So, you know, considering that we you know,
our original space, we didn't want to ever leave in the first spot.
So now, yeah, I've seen you come a long way in four
years. Like you're not just doing tattoos anymore. You're involved with cannabis dispensaries.
You got to bed and breakfast. Well do you do it? I
guess I got to call you an entrepreneur, know right, Like that's the
new word for you, right, Yeah, so you just decide to what,
let me do a little bit of this, a little bit of that.
Well, yeah, the bed and breakfast, you know, we we
opened that about maybe six or seven years ago, and I actually opened it
in the town that I got my first tattoo. And so I got my
first tattoo, North Comwain, New Hampshire. And as soon as I got
my first tattoo, I was like, that's it. How do I do
this? This is what I want to do. I just instantly fell in
love with it and just pressed and got my foot in the door, learned
how to tattoo, got a job, kind of wanted to always retire up
that way, so it was more of a like a retirement plan. Just
things can change in a minute. I know what made what made all these
changes? Did you have any health reasons for all all of a sudden your
brain changing here? Well, oh, I mean COVID. I almost died
from COVID. That would be a big one. Yeah, you know,
it'd be huge. All that thought. Now we got to go to break
because Adio's putting that thing in front of my face and we killed him.
Now I'm Sinny stumbling and listened to his nails in w right Back sponsored by
new Brook Realty Group, Boston Wood Smaller Insurance, World Auto Body and Tosca
Drive Auto Body, Little Black aad dude, and welcome back to Tapa's nails
on WBZ. And I'm Cindy Stumpo and I'm here with Amantha and God and
Jason. Okay, time, what happened to COVID body? You know?
Uh one? Were you vaccinated? I wasn't you chose not to get vaccinated.
I wish I did, but go ahead. You know I caught it,
or at least I tested positive for it. On New Year's Eve of
twenty twenty two. I took a test because I didn't want to get my
favorite restaurant sick. It wasn't feeling well. Happened a couple of days earlier.
You know, just got progressively sicker and sicker. You know, I
stopped eating after the first week, I stopped sleeping after the first week,
and I like literally started to lose my mind. And one of the guys
that I know over the VFW, some old crazy Vietnam Vett UH called me
up because he hadn't seen me, and I told him, I said,
I'm not doing too I told him I wasn't feeling well, and he was
actually the want to convince me to go to the hospital. Why you weren't
going to go with os No? I just I was like, Eh,
it's nothing flesh wounds, you know, like you know, I knew I
had a problem, Like I finally like he told me to go. And
then the next day I tried to go upstairs and uh it took me fifteen
minutes to get up a flight of stairs, and uh, they put me
in a hospital and I was so overrun that I was ended up being in
the uh in a hallway for like two days, and I was so my
chest. I had such double pneumonia that they were like immediately put me in
and they were giving me cat scans and the big fear was, uh,
blood clots. Oh. So I felt like I had like this taking time
bomb and my chest. Not knowing what was going to happen, I couldn't
Like it was surreal. I was just like how did I get this bed?
You know, like you know it's you know, it's just a flu
whatever, you know, I don't really have opinion on it either way.
Like, you know, it was like, you know, I didn't get
vaccinated. I wasn't feeling sorry for myself. It was what it was.
But this guy convinced me to go because he had it. And he's like,
it's not a it's like it's it's so were you a long holler afterwards?
I was, I was going to work for like almost a month,
you know, and uh I was in a hospital for like five or six.
The oxygen levels are dropping, yep, Yeah, they were down in
the eighties, you know. So they had me hooked up and they were
giving me blood dinners and you know, every day they didn't even know what
they were doing, did they. The hospital was great, you know.
I mean I just felt being it's okay, so bad being there, you
know, because I just didn't want to take it away from somebody else.
But I mean it was just it was bad. But we were afraid they're
gonna put you on a ventilator. I know, you ever almost I think
you were going to die. Yeah. Every day would have a panic attack.
Do you ever have a panic attack? No? Okay, I didn't
have them there either. No, you know, I mean, I honestly,
you know, and you alone, was abdy with you alone? Could
you have anybody with you? Then? You know, I got dropped off
and I didn't know what was happening. And you know, it was just
the one I would know if they were going to ever see me again.
It was that I was no, no, I wasn't, you know.
I was so beat up from everything that had been gone on. I was
going through, like you know, between the closing of the shop and COVID
and having to move, and I was going through a really awful breakup and
every I felt like my my mental state is what got me so sick.
And I was at the point where it was like it just wore me down,
and I think that's really what it was. And I just I said,
if I got out of this thing, I said, you know,
if ever in this body again, I left a lot of a lot of
stones unturned. So I said, if I get out of this, so
I'm going to write a lot of or finish a lot of things I started
where I wasn't. I felt like I wasn't ready yet, all right,
So that so yeah, you know, someday we'll be there again. I
just I just I was like, okay, you know I had you turned
the negative into a positive. Well, I mean it was it was I
was forced to to change and I needed to like just I mean, it
wasn't a matter of accepting. It was just like all right, cool,
like one thing at a time. I mean, it was like there wasn't
one part of my life that wasn't in turmoil. And then I was just
like I'm gonna you know, I'm gonna die, you know. And I
I didn't care, not that I was suicidal or I think like that.
I wasn't even sorry about myself, but I was just like, uh,
you know what, had a good run, you know whatever. But I
was like, I think you wanted to think you were normal, thinking normal
back then those thoughts. I was just looking at where my life was at
the time, and I'm like everything I had done, you know, really
kind of like just you know, you think you know people, you don't
you know, like people people will always let you down. Yeah, but
it was across the board. It wasn't even like there was one person left.
And it was like that's you know, I've always been like that.
I always try to take care of my squad and my team and always put
them first. And it's you know, please take this advice. Take this
advice from some it knows. It's better than anybody. You're going under that
Kansas sign. You don't. You treat people with so much loyalty and when
you don't get it back, it's a kick in the ass and it's a
it's a right hook right to the gut because you don't know how to be
like that. But you have to learn change. You learned the hard way.
He did, you know, And I said, this is where it
got me. All of that. That's okay. You will can be small
you know what. I'm in my life so much smaller. And let me
tell you, as I get older, it's been a lot smaller too.
But you know what, I like it. But if there is a bright
side to this story, everything I set out to do I got. I
got past the move, I got the Newberry Street opened. Uh thank you,
Uh my my, my dispensary was approved. Uh so we're able to,
you know, get that going. We're helping out the VFW and Medford.
We worked out a deal with them. I was an auxiliary, remember,
and the reason why I got into cannabis quite honestly was that it was
infuriating to watch Kappy's liquor be opened the whole time I was closed, and
you hear about the news about this alcoholism and this rampant abuse and all of
this stuff that was coming. Yeah, and it was just like how was
this happening? How is this place to open? And I have to stay
closed? And it was just kind of like you know, talking about like
well, why do you get into bed and breakfast? Why are you get
into that? And like, you know, you need to have some different
stuff going on in case like you know, my uh my hands fall off,
you know, like how am I? What am I gonna do for
work? You know exactly you want to do that. There's also a thing
called you can buy disability assurance. Right well, but if you but I'd
like to say, if he has fall off or whatever, you get to
a point where you can't do this. Yeah, Like I said, you
know, I arrive wrestled for a while, I caught an injury suddenly changed
everything overnight, you know, and that always trained me to just try to
be as prepared as you can. Yeah, but you're you're an old soul,
you do know that, right By nature. You've been an old soul
your whole life, and you just what they say. Yeah, dude,
I know who you are. I'm looking at a reflection of myself and you.
But it's okay. I like I like look, you know, when
you can look in the mirror and like who you are. And I don't
mean what you look like physically, if you're pretty, or if you like
what's inside. It's all that Madison. You like you, well, you
just don't like people you surround yourself with. And that's why givers surround themselves
with takers, and takers will always surround themselves with givers. Okay, Well,
Cindy, if I could just say, you know, at first I
thought it was a loss, but it was almost like a tick breaking off
of you exactly like you think they're your friends, but there you know,
once they're gone, you don't realize how much they did take from you exactly
and how like you know, it's like cool, like people, I think
I'm in a worse spot, but I'm actually in the best spot I've ever
been in because I don't have to worry about making these concessions anymore for people,
because those pastures that they all not alone. Whatever, it's always greener,
you know how it is. You know, I just do what I
think. Here's the problem, and it's not. You will get them out
of your life. You will, but you unfortunately think about what are they
doing now? Are they okay? Where's their life? By way? I
look at it like that. I fortunately, if this we had this conversation
three years ago, it would be radically different. I have enough time that's
gone by where I can honestly say I'm in a better spot, you know,
and some people are some people aren't. You know. It was just
really kind of lousy how I felt like COVID was just like this rest tests
for like every man for himself. You know, everybody looked out for themselves.
Everyone did what was best for them, and you know, you're the
boss, Like it doesn't work that way, right, you know. I
could have packed up and left and take the money and move out of my
place and worried about anybody, right, like a jerk, I'm saying here
about my team where it's like, you know, these guys are all behind
the scenes over we're going to go here, we're you know, and they
know what you're going through and they you know, it's it's tough. Yeah,
you know, so for me, I'm like, okay, cool,
Like that's just you know, there's a little smarter for it, you know,
absolutely, but there's there's a loyalty factor. That's what you were.
You're worried about your team. We were essential. So we're out there working.
Yeah, and we said, look at whoever doesn't want to come into
work, don't come in. But I'm going out there every day. I
didn't skip a day out there. And that's and a couple of guys left
and after being home for two weeks with their wives and kids, they go,
we'll be back to work right away. But Ya'll want to ask a
question for you for listeners out there. So you say you have two shops
open right now, Well we got we uh yeah, three three one in
David Square, one in Medford and well into circles. In each place,
is there artists that specifies or specialize in uh, portraits, fine lines,
all different kinds. Yeah, we do, so, Like I would say,
like the shop that there's a variety of different styles, so you know
you have every body can kind of handle the basics, but then each one
will specialize you different. Okay, we gotta go off to break. I'm
Sidney Stumbling with some Toughest Nails and WBZ see where you and welcome back to
Toughest Nails Sidney Stumpo and we have Samantha and Chad and Jason from the Boston
Tattoo Company. I just like to thank you Cindy for having me back on
your show. It's you got a wonderful family. You should be proud I
am. And if anyone is interested in getting any sort of high quality tattoo
work, the easiest way is to go to our website at Boston Tattoo dot
com. We have three locations. Our newest one is in two forty two
Newberry Street, brand new, fantastic, world class artists, and all you
need to do is just go to our website for a lot of consultations so
we'll get back to you. We also have all of our other services that
are attached to the business, and we are looking forward to having you come
by and say hi. I guess chat will be in there next week.
I'll be in there next week. Everybody, have a great, safe weekend
and we'll see you next week. This is City Stumbo Tough as Nails, WBZ.