The business is co-owned by its three tattoo artists: Kevin Betsch, Richard Bowers and Devin Spenny.
Beth Morris does the scheduling for the shop and runs the front desk. She’s worked at the shop for about a year.
“When I found Silkworm Tattoo, my first appointment was with Devin. I was really happy with the actual tattoo, of course, but I also appreciated the energy of the shop, and the cleanliness of the shop. It felt like a safe place to go, and to recommend to other people,” Morris said.
Bowers, a Morrow resident, has been at Silkworm Tattoo for 13 years.
“When I first came here, I was only a year out of my apprenticeship. So, I’ve pretty much spent the entirety of my career at Silkworm Tattoo,” said Bowers.
“We all learned the proper way to tattoo from the same person, Kevin Combs. We focus on different things, obviously. I concentrate more on black and gray tattoos and American traditional. Everybody here is going to have that underlying American traditional element to their stuff,” he said.
Combs was the original owner of Silkworm Tattoo. He retired and left the shop to Betsch, Bowers and Spenny.
Betsch, a Lindenwald resident, started his apprenticeship the day Silkworm Tattoo opened, which was on Aug. 13, 2010.
“The three of us all specialize in tattoos, pretty similarly, but different facets of it. I personally like bold, traditional-style tattoos, focused on some Americana and Japanese elements with a little bit of nostalgia in there,” said Betsch.
He enjoys the people they get to meet and work with every day.
“We see all sorts of different people from all facets of life,” Betsch said.
Bowers added, “You can be a nomad with tattooing as well. You can go anywhere. It’s a language that the entire world understands.”
Spenny, a Cincinnati resident, said the Silkworm Tattoo brand speaks for itself.
“If you have questions, swing by and ask. We’re always here,” Spenny said.
The shop’s level of quality and expertise stand out, according to clients.
All three tattoo artists are proud of the shop’s 15-year milestone.
“It means a lot. We’ve watched not just the shop change; we’ve watched our clientele grow. We’ve started tattooing other generations of them, like our clients kids’ became clients. We want to have those long-lasting relationships with our clients,” said Betsch.
“We love Hamilton, and they love us back,” he said.
Silkworm Tattoo was voted “Best of Butler County” as the Best Tattoo Shop in 2025.