Meet Solana Tattoo's Owner, Aimee: From Journalism to the Tattoo Industry

For most of her career, Aimee Heckel made a living with words. A journalist, author, editor and marketer, she spent two decades writing for publications ranging from O, The Oprah Magazine to USA Today, Fodor’s and Yoga Journal, and contributed to or edited more than 100 books. She eventually moved into marketing, most recently leading content and editorial strategy for a multimillion-dollar fitness equipment company.

But like all of the best things, the next chapter of Aimee’s career came out of a dark place.

In 2020, Covid restrictions forced her husband, JD, to close his small private tattoo studio, while Aimee lost her job in full-time travel writing (not exactly a thriving industry when nobody could travel). The disruption pushed both of them outside their comfort zones but ultimately set them on a path of their dreams.

Aimee moved into marketing, joining a full-service business development, marketing, distribution, sales strategy and public relations firm focused on growing global brands in the luxury shelter industry. She also became involved with the Createurs Design Awards, held annually in Paris and often described as the Academy Awards of the design world.

The experience gave Aimee a deeper appreciation for visual art and craftsmanship. She had always loved art, but working in international marketing alongside some of the world's best luxury design brands immersed her in it in an entirely new way.

That perspective would eventually become an important part of her work at Solana, and her growing passion for supporting artists and creative expression.

Meanwhile, JD, who has spent more than 20 years as a tattoo artist and has helped build and run four successful tattoo shops across Colorado, began looking beyond the private-studio model. Together, Aimee and JD started noticing a gap in the Fort Collins tattoo industry, particularly in how artists were treated.

They saw talented artists working in environments where they had little control over their schedules, limited flexibility to take time off for family and, in their view, were often giving too much of their earnings to the shops where they worked. Aimee and JD believed artists could thrive when they were respected, trusted, seen and cared for.

They wanted to build something different.

Photo by Cinesinner

That became Solana Tattoo Company: an artist-centric studio, run by artists and designed around the people creating the art. They wanted artists to have private spaces where they could feel completely at home, more control over their schedules and better compensation, while also having the support of a team that could help promote their work, fill their books and handle the business side of running a successful studio.

Aimee’s marketing background became a natural part of that mission. Today, she handles much of what happens before a client ever sits in the tattoo chair: branding, marketing, scheduling, client communication, hiring and HR, purchasing, the website, social media and Google. In other words, she helps people discover Solana, understand what makes it different and ultimately find their way through the door.

But she’s not simply behind the scenes. Aimee frequently works the front desk, answers phones, checks in clients, helps the artists and jumps into whatever needs to be done that day. JD focuses primarily on the tattooing and in-shop experience, including the artistry, tattoo quality, customer service, finances and operations.

Their division of responsibilities works because their backgrounds are so different but complementary. Aimee brings decades of experience in storytelling, publishing and marketing, while JD brings two decades of experience as a working tattoo artist and shop owner. Both share a deep respect for art, a commitment to their team and a belief that people should feel empowered to own their bodies and express themselves however they choose.

That philosophy is woven into the way Aimee thinks about Solana. She wanted to preserve the best parts of traditional tattoo culture: quality flash, walk-in availability, late weekend hours and the spontaneous energy of a classic street shop, without being limited to the past. Solana combines those traditions with modern tattooing, including custom artwork, online appointments, advanced equipment, numbing options, modern healing products and an uncompromising focus on cleanliness.

It’s also where Flash Friday was born. The monthly event gives artists an opportunity to create from the heart while celebrating tattoo history and making tattoos more accessible. Other shops have since adopted the concept, something Aimee considers a compliment. To her, the more the idea helps artists and strengthens the tattoo community, the better.

Solana is also very much a family affair. Aimee and JD are both Northern Colorado natives, and Aimee is a CSU graduate. Their daughter, Betty Markwardt, is the shop’s photographer and an important part of the family-run business.

At its core, Solana’s mission is simple: to offer quality tattoos and piercings to good people with unmatched customer service. Everyone is welcome, regardless of their background, style or number of tattoos or piercings. The studio offers custom tattoos, walk-ins, pre-drawn flash and full-service piercings ranging from basic to high-end, including 18-karat solid gold jewelry.

For Aimee, Solana Tattoo represents an unexpected intersection of nearly everything she has spent her career doing: storytelling, marketing, art, community and creating opportunities for other people to thrive. After years of helping other brands tell their stories, she now gets to use those skills to build something she believes in.

Most importantly, she gets to help create a place where artists can build meaningful creative careers and where clients can feel confident, comfortable and in control of their own bodies. After two decades of telling other people’s stories, Aimee is finally getting to write one of her own.