The Gallery Tattoo Studio’s staff were left reeling after the break-in, with owner Glen Howard estimating $30,000 in equipment and cash was stolen.

Someone jumped the Chancery Lane fence Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, smashing in a door on the ground floor before going to the second floor, where the business is located.

Among the haul was money that had been on the premises, two laptops, an apprentice’s tattoo machine, power equipment for another tattooist’s machine and a stencil machine.

The missing stencil machine left a particularly sour taste because studio artists would not have been able to get through a particularly busy Friday without it.

“That (the missing stencil machine) was the thing that would have crippled us, because you can’t readily tattoo without one. You can hand stencil, but it’s not really viable,” Mr Howard said.

Thankfully, another business came to the rescue and loaned one.

Some of what was stolen had not been insured, including money that had been exchanged for gift vouchers.

“It’s going to hit us hard,” Mr Howard said.

“We will continually be losing for the next six months as vouchers are brought in. It draws out the pain over an extended period of time.”

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Mr Howard and his wife had only just completed paying off an investment in the studio, which they had owned for a year, and were still upgrading security.

“Ironically, I was looking at (purchasing) cameras for the shop the day before we got robbed,” Mr Howard said.

The business has now overdrawn as it pays for urgent security upgrades.

Tattooist and fellow business owner Samara Belz has offered a free day-sit for anyone with information leading to an arrest.

Anyone with information should contact the Bendigo Police Station on 5448 1300.

They can also contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at crimestoppers.com.au

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