EDINBURGH'S education leader has become embroiled in an extraordinary row with the owner of a city tattoo parlour – because it is "fairly close" to two schools.
Councillor Marilyne MacLaren has lodged an objection to a licence application by the Red Hot and Blue Tattoo studio, in Brougham Place, despite the shop being there since 2005.
She said pupils from Boroughmuir High and St Thomas of Aquins High School "may be" walking past the premises on a daily basis.
The shop's owner Paul Slifer, 38, (pictured above) said he had tried to invite Cllr MacLaren to his shop in a bid to allay her concerns. But Cllr MacLaren has now hit back, accusing Mr Slifer of "harassing" her with repeated phone calls.
The parlour was forced to apply for a licence under new rules brought in to monitor tattoo artists last year.
Mr Slifer, who moved to the city from Boston, said today that he had gathered a petition with over 100 signatures in support of his business.
He said today: "I phoned Marilyne MacLaren to invite her down here but she never answered any of my phone calls.
"It sounds like she has an archaic idea of what a tattoo parlour is – that it's run by people of low moral fibre and is some sort of smoky and seedy place. Everybody who works here has a degree and I have a Bachelors in fine art and painting from the Rhode Island School of Design.
"Our customers are a real cross section and many are really serious collectors – people who are really interested in tattooing and want something unique and well drawn."
He added: "If you just go further down the street there are strip joints and saunas and we all know what goes on there.
"If we're talking about protecting kids from devious practices then surely those places would be more of a threat.
"We have never tattooed anyone under the age of 18. We just don't get schoolkids coming in here and it's quite a lengthy process to get a tattoo.
"There are no images or designs on the walls, so they can't come in and choose one.
"The place is more akin to an art gallery than a tattoo parlour.
"I have never had any complaints about this place. I even went up to St Thomas' and spoke to the headmaster. He said he was aware that we were here and he had no objections."
In a letter to the city council's licensing department, Cllr MacLaren writes that she is "objecting on the grounds that these premises would be fairly close to both Boroughmuir High School and St Thomas of Aquins High School" and that "children may be walking past them on a daily basis". She makes no mention of George Heriot's School which is also nearby.
Today Cllr MacLaren told the Evening News that Mr Slifer should "cool down" and stop "harassing" her.
She said: "The owner has been somewhat harassing me with repeated phone calls and letters. I just think he really ought to cool down and then he will get his licence renewed. If he's everything that he says he is then he will be able to convince the committee of that and he will be fine.
"I know there have been concerns about a gambling shop and I really just wanted to flag up the fact that this tattoo shop was there. It's up to the owners to persuade the committee that it's properly run. I just felt that it should be raised."
