May 1, 2017

Meet Molly Bennett of Identity Body Piercing in Wicker Park

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Molly Bennett.

Identity Body Piercing started as just a name. It was the first thing Molly and Luis chose out. After years of accumulating jewelry, decor, equipment, and supplies, they finally found a location that spoke to them! Moving into the small storefront located near the intersection of North Avenue and Ashland Avenue, they began piecing together Chicago’s first Piercing Only Studio. Molly grew up in an art focused family learning about fine gems and gold smiting from her Aunt who owns a local fine jewelry store. This is where her passion for jewelry bloomed. Luis has been a professional piercer for over 10 years learning under the best to grow in his knowledge of body piercing. He had been working on a design for a body piercing only studio for years. The combination of these two minds brought forth Identity! They are proud to offer the largest selection of fine jewelry, body jewelry, and accessories as well as offering safe, clean, and professional body piercings. Identity’s goal is to help define your individuality through body adornment.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has of course been a whirl wind! Our first days open were during some of the record coldest days in Chicago. Needless to say, not great for business! When we first opened our goal was to get one person in the door a day. We had to start small! Working every day all day was not easy, but in the long run, the blood, sweat, and tears pay off. Now we even offer online booking for appointments so you can skip the line when getting pierced! Even when we first launched our online store it was nerve wracking putting in so many hours of work and so much money into territory that was brand new to us. But we kept pushing and here we are today! We could not have done it without our beautiful clients. Whenever a day got tough, someone walked in the door and made it better. Seeing our returning clients happy and meeting new ones is what keeps us going.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Identity Body Piercing – what should we know?
Identity Body Piercing is Chicago’s first Body Piercing Only Studio. We specialize in fine jewelry and accessories as well as safe, professional body piercings. We carry a large variety of jewelry! Everything from implant grade titanium to solid gold designs. We carry brands from all over the world. Molly attends a gem show every year just to scout out new brands, designers, trends, and materials. Luis attends APP Conference every year which is a conference for the Association of Professional Piercers to meet and have classes on piercing techniques to keep us up to date with the safe and clean way to perform piercings. Overall, what sets aside the most is Identity as a whole. Our team is small and loves what they do. Whether you stop in just to browse or to start a new piercing project, we will drop everything to chat with you and discuss your plans for your visit with us!

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Identity has for sure been a team effort! Our #1 player is always our clientele base. They have been with us through everything! Nothing keeps us motivated like a smile from a happy pierce. Our other team player is for sure family. Without the moral support and extra pairs of hands from our family Identity could not have happened! Our other huge thanks would go out to all the other local businesses that support us. We love being part of such a giving and caring network of small shops and other business owners. We count our blessings every day to have such amazing support across the board. Identity is more than a name…it is all the people that have given their love, time, and support.

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