At first glance a new home on the outskirts of Powell appears straight forward, a well built home with ample land. A closer look on the side of the home reveals a small room painted black with white flowers; that would be Yellowstone Tattoo owned by Mindy Fach.

The studio formerly in downtown Powell moved to Mindy and Allan Fach’s home when they completed its year-long build last September.

Thanks to Allan’s construction expertise as the owner of Ridge Construction, they were able to take on the build themselves, only subcontracting out certain tasks.

Building together

The home was Allan’s primary project for the past year with Mindy and their son pitching in as they were able. 

“We built just off the road from where we live so that made it really convenient for us because we could just buzz down here and do a couple things in the evening or weekend,” Mindy said. 

The home has an open floor plan Allan said and it was important to both Mindy and Allan that there be a large kitchen for holidays and family gatherings. The kitchen has a gas stove top, a large island and a double oven in order to cook meals efficiently. There is ample lighting, an important detail to Mindy. She likes the decorative aspect and the ability to use different lighting throughout the day.

There is also a separate beverage station with a countertop in order to prevent clutter. The kitchen opens up into the living room where there is a small wood burning stove for alternative heat. On the wall beneath the TV is a small electric fireplace which provides a cozy aesthetic. 

Through the garage is access to the tattoo studio.

Yellowstone Tattoo

The studio has turned out to be a useful addition but it wasn’t a set in stone part of the house plan.

“When we were planning the build it wasn't for sure yet,” Mindy said. “It kind of happened in the beginning stages of designing the floor plan. ‘I was kind of like, hey, Alan, how much more would it be to throw on a 16 by 16 room on the side with a bathroom in it?’”

The separate entrance and bathroom with a shower were important to include, Mindy said, in case they wanted to repurpose the building and use it as an extra bedroom, mother-in-law apartment or office in the future.

Mindy has years of tattoo experience. She owned a shop in Alaska for 12 years where she and her husband had been living. But Mindy actually grew up in Park County. Her family’s land is not too far from where the tattoo studio now sits.

When Mindy and Allan decided to move back to the area they bought a piece of her family’s property owned by her grandparents for over 60 years but the house wasn’t large enough for what they wanted long term.

“So we were able to find this land, which is just a quarter of a mile down the road from where I grew up.”

Her Powell background has influenced the tattoo studios aesthetic. The walls are a bright teal color, inspired by Mindy’s grandmother's turquoise jewelry, the black ceiling tiles were installed because she wanted something similar to the western style tin ceilings that are in many Park County buildings. The ceiling tiles were actually found on Amazon and were easy for her and Allan to install, she said. While some people are leery of black ceilings she thinks the ceiling's height helps to prevent the room from being too dark or cramped. 

“It's bolder than what I would put in my house. But it's bold enough for what I want for my creative space,” Mindy said.

Also in the studio is her grandmother’s dresser which Mindy has refurbished and painted a floral design on. Near that is a large cabinet that belonged to her great-grandmother— on top of it sits a collection of cat statues. She bought one once at a thrift store and the figurine felines have since become a popular gift from clients. The walls are covered in other artwork; tattoo designs, prints, paintings and western decorations. Most of the art is not actually Fach’s but has been accumulated over the years as she traveled to different tattoo conventions. The western art was added into the new studio to give a pop of western style to the space.

“It's just things that I've acquired from friends or whatever through traveling,” Mindy said. “So just stuff that I like (and) stuff that inspired me.”

It’s a little unconventional, having a tattoo sudio amidst the farmland Mindy said, as her chickens strut around outside of the home she and her husband built, not too far from where she grew up.