how the museum got started

The Awesome Tattoo Museum Fayetteville exists to preserve, document, and share the rich history of tattooing in Fayetteville, NC; while connecting it to the broader story of tattooing across the state and beyond.

Tattooing in Fayetteville didn’t happen in a vacuum. It was built by artists, collectors, and communities over decades; people whose stories, artwork, and contributions deserve to be remembered. This museum is dedicated to honoring that legacy and ensuring it isn’t lost to time.

The project is the brainchild of Johnny Awesome, owner of Awesome Tattoos. With over 17 years of experience tattooing, much of that time spent right here in Fayetteville, along with years of traveling and working throughout North Carolina and across the country. Johnny has seen firsthand how deeply tattoo culture is rooted in its history.

Tattooing is more than just the work on the skin. It’s lineage, It’s influence. It’s the passing down of knowledge, style, and tradition from one generation to the next. Everything we have today exists because of those who have today exists because of those who came before us.

This museum is about preserving that foundation.