NORFOLK, Neb. -- Brooke Kremlacek is the proud owner of Crystal Moon Ink in Norfolk showcasing her artistry through permanent body design... tattooing.
 
Kremlacek, originally from Stanton, started her tattoo journey two years ago after receiving an apprenticeship offer from a fellow artist at the time.
 
She said that she always had a passion for drawing and art which drew her to tattooing, but her tattoo business has allowed her to find the new passion of giving back to her community.
 
"So, I just did one for Mosaic, and they help adults with intellectual disabilities," Kremlacek said. "I did a fundraiser, I did like a flash sale and donated over 50% of the proceeds to them. So that was really fun, I actually just did the donation Tuesday, so that was pretty cool."
 
Kremlacek started her business only three months ago, finding success with maintaining a steady clientele, despite multiple tattoo artists in the same town being a concern at first.
 
"I was kind of nervous thinking you know there are a few different tattoo shops here in Norfolk, and so I was thinking that there might be a little bit of competition with that," said Kremlacek. "But I found that everybody has their own style, so it doesn't really run into anything too much, which is nice."
 
Crystal Moon Ink currently resides in the House of Colour, forming a mutually beneficial relationship.
 
"It really helps being in here, because their clients see that I tattoo so they kind of talk to me," said Kremlacek. "My clients see that they do hair, so they talk to them. It's kind of a really even trade off, I think."
 
Kremlacek plans to grow Crystal Moon Ink's clientele, get a space of its own in the future, and contribute more charity work throughout the community.
 
And Kremlacek has a word of advice for any female entrepreneur who wants to start or continue their business:
 
"Keep going, just keep doing it, believe in yourself, don't let other people tell you that you can't do it," she said. "There are a lot of people that believe that you cannot do it as a female business owner, there are so many. And so the belief system is what is the biggest thing to keep up with."