MADÉ Tattoo and Mercantile
As an interdisciplinary artist with experience in photography, mural painting and printmaking, tattooing is just another medium for Chloé Besson to express herself through. She not only focuses on bridging the gap between fine art and tattooing but providing inclusivity and comfort for clients.
“My whole business is based on showing up differently in the world of tattooing by intentionally creating a loving and pleasurable experience,” Chloé says.
Once she’d committed to teaching herself tattooing in 2019 and spending the following year in a private Boulder studio, Chloé knew she’d open her own shop.
Last June, Chloé launched MADÉ, a curated tattoo studio and mercantile store displaying artistic home goods and boutique items for sale at Denver’s 4414 Yates Street. She and three other tattoo artists work out of the earth-toned space, which also hosts pop-ups and community events.
With scheduling that fills up a month’s worth of appointments in minutes, Chloé recently took a month-long break from tattooing to recover from burnout.
“The act of tattooing itself and holding space for someone while piercing their skin is really fulfilling and can be draining,” Chloé says.
To continually provide her best for clients, Chloé encourages herself and other tattooers to create intention around work-life balance and take breaks from their practice. Chloé openly shares about her process online to give her clients the best possible experience, one in a space for all bodies to feel welcome, seen and comfortable in.
Ignite Your Aura
During a decade-long photography career, Corinna Lander took many people’s pictures, especially women, who felt uncomfortable posing for the camera.
To help reveal these subjects’ true selves, Corinna and Matt Sudowski, life partners before they began a business together, started Ignite Your Aura last March. The two offer aura photography sessions with a color guide, along with reiki and massage therapy services.
At private events and pop-up locations in the greater Denver area, Corinna and Matt provide a photography experience where “science meets woo,” Corinna says.
Bioelectric feedback technology reads the subject’s heartbeat and body temperature, sending outputs to an AuraCam 6000 that translates those energies into color.
“Every human knows how to feel energy,” Corinna says. It’s easy to sense someone’s mood when they enter a room. Corinna and Matt expand on that during readings, connecting with a subject by interpreting their aura.
“Auras can change over time,” Corinna says, “which makes this a fun activity to see where you’re at transitionally.” Because auras aren’t permanent, Corinna and Matt interpret them through how the body’s energy can inspire new perspectives or lifestyle shifts.
LOVE SARO
With sculptor Carol Ritter for a mother and a father in the boutique real estate business, it’s no wonder Sacha Jarmon crafted a career in making jewelry that led to her opening permanent, custom-fit jewelry boutique LOVE SARO with her mom in 2020.
“Permanent jewelry is the most sustainable piece you’ll ever buy,” says Sacha, who has her A.J.P. certification from the Gemological Institute of America, of her custom, precious metal accessories. LOVE SARO’s necklaces, bracelets and anklets, which are most often made with recycled sterling silver or solid 14 karat gold, last a lifetime.
At appointments and private events, Sacha and her team take a client's measurements, then let them create a truly customized piece before welding a chain together around the body, without a clasp, and with a perfect fit.
LOVE SARO’s custom jewelry resides at a somewhat hidden, “please don’t tell” location in Boulder. With a temporary studio at 2702 E. 3rd Avenue in Cherry Creek North, LOVE SARO will move to a second permanent home down the street this summer.
Their appointment-only studios display Carol’s sculptures, as well as expertly curated vintage clothing by OnBeatVintage.
The mother-daughter duo began the business, in part, to keep each other motivated to create at the start of the pandemic. That, and out of the desire for human connection, to work with clients to design a personalized piece through the intimate creation experience, often a commemoration or celebration, associated with permanent jewelry. Visit them online at LoveSaro.com.