Doug Hardy
I grew up with tattooing, watching my father Don Ed Hardy and his friends in their shops since I was a small lad. I remember going to Ace Tattoo in San Diego to watch the sailors and marines get tattooed by my father and Zeke Owen as I would stare at the tattoo flash on the walls.
In 1992, I was offered a tattoo apprenticeship by my father’s good friend Mike “Rollo” Malone in Honolulu, Hawaii. I moved over and started to learn under Mike at his shop, China Sea Tattoo, which was once Sailor Jerry’s old shop. For six years I was taught the fundamentals of the craft, as well as being taken with Mike to various conventions around America and visiting shops to expand my knowledge.
I moved from Hawaii to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1998 to help a friend at a shop he was opening up, and fell in love with the area. What I thought would be a short move turned out to be a near 12 year stay that found me working at The Ink Lab, Uptown Tattoo, and finally Josh Arment’s Aloha Monkey Tattoo. During these years I also travelled to Japan to work at Chopstick Tattoo in Osaka and Tommy’s Fire Tattoo in Hiroshima.
In 2009, I moved back to my hometown of San Francisco to be at my father’s shop Tattoo City. It was an extremely amazing experience and I had worked with and met many amazing people and friends. For 15 years I was given an amazing opportunity to be there thanks to my father and stepmother Francesca and I will never forget how much it helped me on my continuing journey.
In December of 2024 Tattoo City permanently closed. I’m excited to be serving my clients at Karen Roze’s Sacred Rose Tattoo in Berkeley. I look forward to meeting you!
