For the past 10 years, the tattoo artists at Mid Air & Ink have worked in a 20-by-20-foot space at the back of their store and had a 40-by-20-foot lobby in front.

“The landlord didn’t want tattooing in front,” said Craig “Nappy” Fogle, who bought half the Fourth Street store from owner Dave Conner in February.

He didn’t even want the word “tattoo” in the sign in front of the shop, Conner said. Instead it had to say “body art.” A few years ago, Conner said, they were finally able to place a neon “tattoo” sign in the front window, which is now being followed by a complete renovation of the parlor that includes bringing the tattoo stations to the front of the store.

“A lot of people are not as scared or intimidated by tattoos anymore,” said Fogle, who noted that many of their clients are doctors, lawyers and businessmen.

The owners also decided to refurbish the tattoo parlor because of renovation going on and planned for the surrounding neighborhood.

The new look is inspired by a Japanese style and is designed to be comfortable. The front windows will showcase sand and rock gardens, along with a flat-screen television that will display the tattoo artists’ portfolios to people passing outside. The lobby has granite countertops on a cherrywood base, and behind it are five workstations divided by a cherrywood frame, walls and sliding doors. The sliding doors, Fogle said, can stay closed for a private atmosphere or open up if people want to talk with other artists and customers.

The owners also said that they are purchasing a new computer and new barber-style chairs and are considering adding a couch to the front lobby as well as some other features, including massage chairs

Most of the construction has been completed and owners expect that they will be ready to move into the new section in a couple of weeks.

Fogle and Conner believe making such extensive improvements is difficult for tattoo parlors because most shops cannot afford to close for several months. Instead, they often use drywall and paint and try to complete construction as soon as possible.

Mid Air & Ink’s owners were able to keep working in back of the store while spending more than seven months buying wood and hiring a carpenter to work on the front. There was only one week, Conner said, that they had to tell the carpenter not to come because they couldn’t afford to pay him.

Although Mid Air & Ink already has a strong client base and a schedule that’s consistently booked a month in advance, the owners hope that the new look will draw more clients. But they’re not looking for customers who want to quickly get in and out. They consider their business a custom tattoo parlor, where the artists take time to design and draw a tattoo that the client wants. As “tattoo artists who love the art of tattooing,” said Conner, they attract people who are educated about what they want and often return. Long-term clients currently make up about 75 to 80 percent of their business.

“A lot of people understand now that you don’t have to settle for something on the wall or are limited to someone’s book,” Fogle said. “They realize that they can have what they want.”