Businesses Settle into Chester Gardens

DULUTH - After a long winter and months of construction, businesses are finally settling into a new development.It's called Chester Gardens in Duluth's Chester Creek neighborhood and business owners say it couldn't be a better fit for the city.With every inch of ink, tattoo artist Kyle Grover is making his mark on Duluth."It's pretty neat to be able to create something and somebody's wearing it for the rest of their life," he said.Grover is the owner of Benchmark Tattoo and Gallery at the new development along 8th Street."I think a lot of people have a stigma in their mind that goes along with tattoo studios," he said.So, he's trying to break the mold and create a modern open environment where customers are comfortable."Just the fact that it's a new business, too, in the area and that we're not just tattooing, we're bringing something else to the table," said Grover.The shop also serves as a local art gallery where Grover will host art shows the first Friday of every month.It's a different vision than what the building's owner, Carla Blumberg, had planned for."I originally thought I was looking for something like Kinkos. But then these places came along and they're a lot more hipster than anything I could have thought of," she said.Chester Gardens is awaiting a bubble tea shop and skincare and electrolysis clinic to fill the vacant spots."People seem to be excited about it especially the younger people. I think most of the clients of those businesses are going to be younger people. Younger than me, at any rate," said Blumberg.That young clientele is who Grover has been attracting through his doors in what he sees as an up and coming area."I think Duluth as a whole is going in kind of a different direction and I think it's a good place that's really fostering new business and there's a lot of new stuff going on," said Grover. For more information on Benchmark Tattoo and Gallery, click here.