Signaling change
New Astoria
tattoo shop opens
BY ALYSSA EVANS
Astoria has a new tattoo shop and its own-
ers are long-time local tattoo artists.
Alana Robbie and Loren Candela recently
opened Signal Tattoo at 285 W. Marine Drive.
The pair previously worked together at Shang-
haied Tattoo Parlor.
If You Go
Signal Tattoo, 285 W. Marine Drive (relocat-
ing to 14th Street in September)
Open noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through
Sunday
signaltattoo.com
971-704-9322 or signaltattoo@gmail.com
“We have lived and worked in Astoria six
years-ish. Ask your auntie about us, they’ll
know. Ask your mom. Ask the Coast Guard.
We’ve probably tattooed your mom or your
daughter or your sister,” Caldera said.
Robbie and Candela opened Signal Tattoo
as a soft launch in June. In September, the pair
will move to a permanent space off 14th Street,
above Purple Cow Toys.
“We’re exploring. We’re kind of letting the
identity of Signal come to us, instead of try-
ing to strong-arm it into being a certain thing,”
Robbie said.
“Yeah, it’s natural,” Candela added.
Origins
Robbie started tattooing 18 years ago at a
biker shop where she learned to tattoo by copy-
ing fl ash.
“I kind of stumbled into it because I was
too young to know any better — that’s usually
how I tell people that. It ended up working out
really well,” Robbie said. “Basically, I showed
this guy who was actively hiring apprentices
my artwork and got into it at a really busy
street shop, where I got a lot of skin under my
needles.”
Robbie was especially inspired to open
up her own shop during the coronavirus
pandemic.
See Page 7
ORIGINAL FINE ART
on the waterfront
port of ilwaco, wa
marie-powell.com
360-244-0800
6 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Photos by Alyssa Evans
ABOVE: Alana Robbie, left, and Loren Candela own Signal Tattoo. BELOW: Some of Candela’s art.