Till Death Tattoo Collective

Till Death Tattoo Collective is a walk-in-friendly tattoo studio on West 17th Street in Kansas City’s Westside North, run by married owners Ashley and Nash Fors and fitted out like a Victorian reading room.

Description

Till Death Tattoo Collective occupies a storefront at 923 W 17th Street in Kansas City’s Westside North, a short walk from the Crossroads and the West Bottoms.¹ The shop is recognisable from the street by a large ornate window; KCUR’s 2025 survey of Kansas City tattoo studios described the effect as giving “a Willy Wonka feeling,” with an interior arranged like a Victorian reading room — a green overstuffed couch, maroon-red brick walls.¹

The studio operates as a collective rather than a single-artist practice, with a roster of resident artists working in distinct styles. KCUR singled out the shop’s colour work, naming the Pokemon pieces of the artist tattooing as @skinnamondolce and Brandy Woodford’s cartoon-fruit designs.¹ The studio’s own Instagram identifies further resident artists by handle, including @midwestnash_, @bwood_tattoo, @logansightart, @leslietilldeath and @hoovertattoos.²

Unlike much of Kansas City’s appointment-only tattoo scene, Till Death keeps walk-ins as a standing offer and staffs for them, and the owners are described as prioritising an at-ease atmosphere over a gatekeeping one.¹ The shop also offers permanent makeup and microblading alongside tattooing, with Ashley Fors trading under the handle @ashleyforspmu for that side of the business.¹²

Ownership and history

Till Death Tattoo Collective is owned and operated by Ashley Fors and Nash Fors, who are married.¹ The founding year of the studio is — no first-party or press statement of an opening date has been located. Prior careers or shops the Fors worked at before opening Till Death are likewise.

Links

• Website: https://www.instagram.com/tilldeathtattoocollective/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Till-Death-Tattoo-Collective-61550097939100/

Services

• Custom tattooing across several artists and styles; walk-ins welcome and staffed for.¹
• Permanent makeup and microblading.¹³

Sources

Footnotes

1. Shannon Carpenter, “Want to get a tattoo in Kansas City? Here are some artists and studios to check out,” KCUR, May 24, 2025. URL ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

2. Till Death Tattoo Collective on Instagram (@tilldeathtattoocollective). URL ↩ ↩²

3. “Till Death Tattoo Collective,” Yelp business listing (address, phone, and hours; operating signal only, not a source for ownership or history). URL ↩