Where pink gothic princess meets the small country town feel, The Pin Cushion has been bringing professional body piercing by an all-female staff to the heart of Celina for the past two years. Co-owner Kimberly Dent says that since opening their shop July 7 of 2022, her love for Celina has only grown.
“We'd always loved the Celina downtown area and the feel,” Dent said. “The city is behind small business and does whatever they can to help small business … just [the community] supporting kids in Celina was a huge thing for us.”
Dent mentioned her love for the city of Celina and her growing love for tattoos and body piercing. She started in the industry in 2006 as a receptionist at a tattoo shop.
“I fell in love with the industry and how it was ever-evolving and constantly changing,” Dent said. “Then I had my daughter, and she was five and asked for her ear lobes to be pierced. I didn't feel comfortable taking her to the traditional tattoo shop.”
So, Dent pierced her herself. From there, she and her husband decided to start their own business.
“I started The Pin Cushion primarily to have a safe space for my daughter and her friends,” Dent said. “I was a Girl Scout leader at the time, and it was easy for the moms to feel comfortable bringing their daughters to come in and get their ears pierced. That's how it all started, and it evolved from there.”
Now, Kimberly and her husband own two tattoo shops and two body piercing studios, with tattoos as his specialty and body piercing as hers. The Pin Cushion started as a small location in Frisco in 2014 with just Kimberly. Ten years later, Dent now proudly employs 17 girls between the two locations. She says empowering women is also important to her.
“We want everybody to be successful, and even though I know that a lot of girls won't be with us forever, it's a good foundation to learn teamwork and to be able to express yourself,” Dent said. “That's important to me, and to have an all-female staff, it's like having a bunch of sisters…”
For Dent, she says creating a safe and friendly environment where her customers feel that they can come ask questions is important. Her commitment has not gone unnoticed in the community of women she has intentionally built.
“I've had little girls that have started coming to me when they were six to get their earlobes pierced, and I still see them to this day,” Dent said. “They'll come into the shop…if they're in town or they've gone to college and come back, they try to stay in touch. I build solid relationships and friendships with people over the years, and so do all of my girls.”
While both are special to her, Kimberly says the Celina location is just the way they like it.
“It's slow and steady. It gives the girls the opportunity to relate with the customers and build friendships with the local community,” Dent said. “We love what we do, and we're very passionate about it. Being in a small town with such great people—it’s been a blessing.”
The Pin Cushion’s Celina location is located at 695 N Preston Rd Ste 120, or online at bodypiercingsfrisco.com