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In Focus | Rachelle Alexandra

Meet Rachelle, she was born and raised in Kamloops, and after living in both Kelowna and Vancouver, she keeps coming back to this beautiful city! Rachelle is a tattoo artist and owner of Wildwood Tatoo Parlour. If you are looking for some wicked ink? Check this lady out.

Who is your favourite person to spend time with and why?
No questions asked; my partner Kristopher Swain. He is my best friend, love of my life and business partner! It's amazing to be around someone who always makes me laugh and brightens my day!

What is your favourite local store in Kamloops and why?
My favourite local store in Kamloops is the Golden Buddha! I love the energy there and it's a great place for some crystal therapy!

Describe yourself in one word.
I'd have to say ambitious!

If you could go anywhere in the world right at this moment where would you go and why?
I would probably fly down to Richmond, Virginia and get tattooed by my favourite artist, Teresa Sharpe!

What is your favourite activity in Kamloops?
My favourite activity would have to be exploring nature, especially creeks and waterfalls. I love being surrounded by wilderness.

What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you?
I regularly run into my clients that I've tattooed and will totally forget their names and faces. When they are excited to visit, I need to ask them what I tattooed on them so I remember!

What is the most inspiring thing that has happened to you?
My partner and I just travelled down to St. Louis, Missouri to the Explorer Tattoo Conference. We attended seminars about tattooing and it was probably the most inspiring event I've attended. I got to meet some of my idols in the industry, and learned more than I could have imagined!



Tell us your favourite childhood memory.
Most of my favourite childhood memories revolve around catching frogs and snakes in the ponds and lakes when I was camping. When I was about 11 years old, I caught a frog that was covered in leeches. I spent the afternoon putting single grains of salt on each leech to make them let go of the poor thing. It took all day but eventually, I got them all off without hurting the little guy.

Where do you volunteer or give back to in the community?
I haven't had the time to volunteer lately in the community, but before I tattooed I used to help the BC Wildlife Park do their summer camps for kids! That was so much fun!

If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?
I think that if people were as concerned with what they had in common with other people, as they are with our differences, the world would be a much better place. We all just want to be happy, fed and comfortable. If we just took the time to recognize that, we would all be a little better off.

Where would you sneak away to in Kamloops to spend some time alone?
I love hanging out at the Art We Are!



Where would you like to see positive change in Kamloops and why?
I'd love to see some more energy going towards Kamloops' mental health efforts.

What do you think makes Kamloops great?
I think Kamloops is a great place to live because it is a perfect blend of nature, small-town hospitality but not too small that you need to travel to get what you need!

What are 3 things on your bucket list?
I would love to expand our studio to include a coffee shop or lounge area in the front of it. A place where people are encouraged to draw, study, meet friends and just have a good time! I also would love to do a cross-country tattooing tour. On top of that, I would love to do more nature stuff like snorkel with fish, turtles and sharks. As well as travel the world and see new things!

Tell us something that not everyone may know about you.
Not everyone knows that I love skiing and kayaking! I don't get to do either of them often right now, but they are some of my favourite hobbies.

How do people connect with you, personally, through social media? (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.)
I can be a little bit of an introvert when I'm not at work, but I would say Instagram is the best way to connect, @xandra.ink is mine!

What is the name of your business/organization?
Wildwood Tattoo Parlour is our studio!



Why did you get into/start this business?
I started this business to be able to give clients not only a great piece of art that they will carry with them forever but also a wonderful experience in a great environment!

What is the goal of your business?
The goal of Wildwood is to provide the highest standard of artwork, information, and customer service to everyone who reaches out to us!

What has been your biggest struggle either at work or in life?
The biggest struggle for me is biting off more than I can chew! I am terrible for taking on too many projects at once in fear of disappointing people. I'm still working on finding a balance.

What do you always find yourself saying?
"What can I get done today?"

Tell us your best piece of life advice.
Failing is the first step at being kinda good at something! If you can't try hard enough to fail, then you aren't trying hard enough!



If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?
I know it sounds cliche, but I love spending time with my family!

Why do you think it is important to shop locally?
When you shop locally, you are helping to feed children that your children may go to school with. I think that is so important for a town's economic health and overall it creates a positive environment!

What has been your proudest accomplishment?
I would have to say that opening Wildwood with Kristopher is pretty incredible!

Give someone you think that deserves it a shout out and explain why!
I would give a shout-out to my apprentice, Mika Prefontaine, for her persevering through some pretty rough times through her apprenticeship, but refusing to give up!

My choice for the KamloopsBCNow In Focus spotlight is:
Kristopher Swain

Some general comments I would like to share are:
Thank you for this opportunity, I love being involved in the community! I hope to do more things like this in the future!

We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE. Thank you, Kamloops.

In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition of the people, businesses, and organizations that help make our city great!



Send your comments, news tips, typos, letter to the editor, photos and videos to [email protected].



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