Wish and Wonder Tattoo opens in Albion

Andrew London brings bright and welcoming business to his hometown

Photos by Tom Rivers: Andrew London opened Wish and Wonder Tattoo in Albion about two weeks ago at 115 East Bank St. London has worked as a tattoo artist the past 11 years.

ALBION – A new tattoo business in Albion features a hometown tattoo artist who wants to help the downtown business district grow.

Andrew London, 33, has worked as a tattoo artist for 11 years. He started at High Voltage Tattoo in Batavia and worked the past seven years at Canalside Tattoo in Medina.

London has a devoted clientele and he wanted to work in his hometown of Albion.

“I wanted to bring something to Albion that would brighten up the downtown,” said London, whose father Dean is a former Albion mayor and police chief.

About two weeks ago Andrew opened Wish and Wonder Tattoo at 115 East Bank St. He is joined by his wife, Katie, who is an apprentice tattoo artist. Megan “Marge” Furness also runs a body piercing business at Wish and Wonder. Furness has worked as a piercer the past four years.

Wish and Wonder Tattoo includes, from left: Megan “Marge” Furness as a body piercer, Andrew London, the owner and a tattoo artist; and Katie London, an apprentice tattoo artist.

London has a bright atmosphere at Wish and Wonder. He picked a name for the business that he said “feels magical.”

He wanted a well lighted space for the tattoo artists and for the body piercer.

“It’s not dark and scary,” he said. “It’s light and airy.”

London said he has done tens of thousands of tattoos so far in his career.

Tattoos have become far more accepted in the past 10 to 20 years. Many people proudly post them on social media, and receive very positive feedback which encourages their friends to want them.

London said most people keep coming back after getting a tattoo. He does many memorial tattoos, and ones with birth stones and birth flowers that people want to represent their children.

“Tattoos are memories,” he said at Wish and Wonder this morning. “People get one, they like it and then they want more.”

He strives to make people feel comfortable during the process of getting a tattoo.

“They all have a fun time when they are in here,” he said. “That must be why they call it ink therapy.”

Andrew London recently created these tattoos of Frankenstein, Zelda and the American flag.

London and his wife Katie pushed to open Wish and Wonder once their youngest child entered kindergarten last month. That has freed them up to put more focus on their own business.

Katie also is an apprentice tattoo artist. She is starting with smaller tattoos and will be working her way up to larger artwork.

Her husband wanted to be an art teacher when he graduated from high school. He found being a tattoo artist fills his artistic passions. He also likes to connect with his customers, and bring them joy with tattoos that are often very meaningful and personal expressions.

London is a sponsored artist through Empire Inks, which provides inks for gray washes – black and gray tattoos.

Megan “Marge” Furness is a body piercer with a business, Piercings by Marge. She worked as a phlebotomist, collecting blood samples from patients, before getting into body piercing.

She did an apprenticeship at Canalside Tattoo to learn the craft. She does piercings for the ear, nose, eyebrow, lip, tongue and other body parts.

She uses a sterile, hollow needle instead of a piercing gun which she said reduces swelling and is easier for her clients. Furness said she talks through the process, especially with children.

“The best part is giving people a very good piercing experience,” she said.

For more information on Wish and Wonder, call (585) 283-4173 or check their Facebook page.