NILES —  A new tattoo business will open in Niles with the goal to offer its customers more than permanent ink. 

Co-owner Russell “Pain” Corrado, of Niles, and a silent partner will open Order and Chaos Emporium Tattoos and Piercing.

The business will be taking the place of the Michiana Tattoo Emporium where Corrado worked for 16 years. According to Corrado, the owner of the business had to take a leave to care for family. Corrado said he saw an opportunity to put his own mark on a local tattoo shop.

A grand opening will take place from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, at 116 S. 11th St. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. In conjunction with the grand opening events, Order and Chaos will be partnering with Knocturnal Records to host a free Festival of the Dead. The shop will be giving away five $100 gift certificates and raffle tickets for custom items like airbrushed skateboard decks. Performers WaLLa, Khaos Anubis and Looney Lenny will host a free show.

As a business owner for Order and Chaos, Corrado said he has one major goal.

“[Offer] a more enjoyable place to get tattoos,” he said.

Since taking over as owner, Corrado, a father and tattoo artist with 25 years of experience, has been working to remodel the business, with the intent to give the shop a more artistic ambiance. The team turned the formerly plain walls into a canvas.

Those who step inside the shop will see murals at each individual artist’s work station. Even the floor pays homage to this effort and is covered in tattoo designs.

Order and Chaos will offer custom tattoos, body piercing for $10 per hole and air brushing, including T-shirts and skateboard decks. Art work will also be sold at the shop. In addition to Corrado, there are three total artists working for the business: Chris Dawson, who goes by “Tatt 2 Chris”; Shawn Andersen, an air brush artist and Gypsy, a tattoo artist.

“We are trying to let everyone know that art is not just about tattooing,” Andersen said. “There is more to it. You can be an artist by drawing, airbrushing and tattooing.”

For his part, Corrado said he grew up in an artistic family and this encouraged him to pursue a career as a tattoo artist.

“I grew up in the industry and I just love it,” Corrado said. “I don’t know, people running around with your artwork on them is great.”

While some of Corrado’s favorite tattoos to draw are famous people or horror-influenced, he said he is apt to create anything.

“I’m a street artist,” Corrado said. “I’m the kind of artist [who] can draw anything and everything. I don’t make you come back later. I draw it right there, including portraits.”

When Corrado is not creating tattoos or spending time with his family, he likes to demonstrate his ability to swallow fire. Corrado has performed the skill at several shows and this is perhaps part of his influence to bring what he describes as a “freak show” vibe to the shop.

While he like playing with fire, Corrado said he also wants the business to be a place where customers are not afraid to bring their children. He said most of the artists at the shop also have children and value this, too.

“I’m more about my family than the money,” Corrado said.

Hosting more community events, such as the Festival of the Dead will also be in the works, he said.

Order and Chaos will be open from noon to 9 p.m. Thursday to Sunday. To learn more about the business, those interested can check out their Facebook page.

“Everywhere else is just a tattoo shop,” Corrado said. “We are trying to do a lot more than that.”