STRONGSVILLE, Ohio — In Strongsville, business owners are celebrating a change to a zoning ordinance allowing more flexibility for businesses offering permanent ink services, including tattooing and permanent makeup.

When people hear “permanent ink,” they often think of traditional tattooing. However, the industry has grown significantly.

Olga Hays, owner of Premium Permanent Makeup, thinks cosmetics.

“I do permanent micropigmentation of eyebrows, lips, eyeliner and scalp,” Hays said. “It’s about creating beautiful faces and giving women confidence.”

Earlier this year, Olga signed a lease to open her new permanent makeup salon in Strongsville, only to discover that zoning restrictions prohibited her business from operating in that space.

Hays would take clients for other cosmetic needs, including nails and eyelash extensions. But for months, she was unable to use her salon for its intended purpose, permanent makeup, causing her to lose up to $28,000.

Due to Strongsville’s previous ordinance, tattoo parlors and establishments offering permanent ink were classified the same as bars and hookah lounges, limiting where they could operate. These zoning laws essentially didn’t allow permanent ink services in many areas, including at Jonathan Miller’s business, Image Studios, where he rents suites to independent beauty artists.

“Unfortunately, we have had to turn away several body artists, both for permanent makeup and decorative tattoos,” Miller said.

After turning down about six artists, Miller lost about $100,000 due to vacancies. These spaces in the building are still empty.

Determined to solve the problem, Miller approached the Strongsville City Council.

“It’s important to educate our city officials that all types of tattoos are more accepted and much more common,” Miller said.

City Council member Jim Kaminski agreed, recognizing the need to update old laws.

“We’re evolving in these areas, the same way we’re evolving in other technologies, with computers and the Internet, right? We are constantly seeing changes in these areas. Why would tattooing be any different, or permanent makeup be any different,” said Councilman Jim Kaminski.

On Monday, the City Council unanimously amended the previous ordinance, reclassifying tattoo parlors and permanent makeup studios to general business zoning. This change provides more flexibility and opens up new opportunities for local businesses.

After 11 months of working with the city council, Miller was excited to call these artists back.

Meanwhile, Olga looks forward to welcoming her new customers. She still has a few final steps to complete before receiving her board of health certificate, but once it’s approved, she’ll be good to go.