An entrepreneurial Prestonpans man is preparing to add another string to his bow when he opens his new tattoo studio in the town tomorrow.

Mark Macdonald, 29, founded That Guy Barber Studio in 2020, taking his passion for cutting hair into starting his own business.

Since then the business, located on Hawthorn Road, has expanded by adding a tanning bed and now the dedicated tattoo studio.

East Lothian Courier: Dean Kerr Watson with Mark Macdonald

Dean Kerr Watson with Mark Macdonald

That Tattoo Studio will run as a separate business, but it will be housed within the barber's Hawthorn Road premises.

Speaking to the Courier, Mark spoke about how the idea to open up his this new business came about.

He said: "When I opened the barber studio, I always planned to bring in other industries.

"I started with the barbers – and now we are fully booked every day.

"The business has succeeded much better than I ever thought."

He added that having lived in East Lothian for a long time he was able to build up a strong clientele which helped get the business off to a strong start.

But Mark always had a tattoo studio in mind and created a room specifically for that purpose when the opportunity arose.

He undertook an extensive search to find the right artist to complement the shop.

Eventually finding Dean Kerr Watson of DKWtattoos to take up residence at the new studio.

Mark described Dean as a "really good match" as he brings more than a decade of experience working in Dalkeith with a good reputation and loyal customer base.

His versatility as an artist was also a massive selling point to Mark with traditional, Japanese, neo traditional being his specialties with lots of experience in realism, mandala, dot work and watercolour as well.

East Lothian Courier: The tattoo studio prior to opening

The tattoo studio prior to opening

Speaking of his style, Dean said: "I can approach most styles with time and put much thought into each individual project.

"I love adhering to the clients specific needs to accomplish the view and goal in mind, to create an idea, into a tattoo reality!

"The smiles and the happiness of each client, is better than the money!"

Mark was delighted to see all of his efforts come to fruition, despite the challenges he faced in starting a business during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said: "It's amazing – I'm very proud.

"Family helped me so much to get here both financially and mentally behind the scenes.

Mark stressed that the success of the business has been "more than he ever thought" was possible and he was "extremely happy" with how things were going.

When he started he "only wanted to cut hair" but now it has become a platform to explore all the "massive ideas" in his head.

That Tattoo Studio opens its doors tomorrow. Those interested can make appointments and check availability by messaging DKWtattoos here