In Adams, What were once four old garages in the rear of the Armory Court off Park Street are being turned into new shop fronts as part of the revitalization efforts downtown-shops that local leaders hope will be a cultural attraction for the town.

"It looks fantastic," Selectman Joseph R. Dean Jr. said Wednesday night about the latest phase of the Armory Court project. "It's really going to be a huge drawing point for Adams."

Among the shops going into the court is Armory Studio and Tattoos, an art Gallery and upscale tattoo parlor owned by James Squires and Evan Bates, both formerly of Twisted Ink on Columbia Street. They plan on opening the doors February 1st. On that day, they also hope to see a community of artist start to form in and around Armory Court.

"I'd like to see the Topia theater get finished soon so we could get music as well as art in the area," Bates, an Adams native, said Wednesday afternoon in the new shop, which is under construction. "I'd like to see this whole area come together.... I want everybody to join with each other and work on art."

Both men consider themselves artists first and want their shop to reflect that. "We do everything. We do murals, we paint, we airbrush, we detail motorcycles, - we do everything, not just tattoos," said Squires, originally from Pittsfield. He has done airbrush work for movies such as "The Matrix" and "X-Men."

Armory Studio and Tattoos will include a gallery featuring original work from Squires and Bates, as well as pieces from local artists who want to do much more than tattoos. Bates hopes the gallery's diversity will bring a different kind of customer into the shop.

"We're not gonna frighten anybody because we're also a tattoo parlor," he said. "I'd like to have even elderly people come in, if they like art, and look at our paintings. It almost has nothing to do with tattoos."

Squires and Bates decided to open their own shop so they could work for themselves. They said they felt it was necessary step to be more free with what kind of work they pursued. "I'd say our art will be a lot more open now," Bate said.

Although tattooing is currently very popular, Squires knows from 18 years of tattooing experience that it may not stay that way. " I started tattooing when it wasn't cool," he said with a laugh. Every 10 years its popularity goes up, peaks and then comes down again."

But neither man is worried about the day arriving when no one wants a tattoo. "Tattooing will never die," Bates said. "It's an ancient art." In addition to tattooing's resilience as an art form, repeat business - people who have multiple tattoos and want more, keeps tattoo parlors open. Those customers usually want the same artist. There is already a fan base in the area clamoring for Squires' and Bates' work.

"We have a lot of faithful customers up here," Squires said. "The phone's are ringing off the hook right now with people waiting for us to open."