How do I find a piercing studio for sale?

Piercing studios are small, owner-led businesses, and few are ever advertised. That means the search is partly a listings search and partly a networking one. Decide first what you want: a stand-alone studio, a room inside a tattoo shop, or a studio that is mostly retail jewellery. Each looks different on a listing, and each is found through slightly different people.

Listing sites and brokers

Search business-for-sale sites for piercing, body art and tattoo listings, since studios are often grouped under those headings. If a broker lists one, ask whom the broker acts for. A broker usually has a client to serve, so treat the summary as a starting point for your own checks rather than a finished picture, and ask what documents will be available once you sign a confidentiality agreement.

The people who hear first

Jewellery suppliers know which studios order steadily and which owners are tired. Piercers who move between studios may hear of a planned sale before any listing exists. Tattoo shops that host a piercer can also point you to neighbouring studios. Be open about who you are and what you are looking for, and keep what you learn about an owner’s plans confidential.

Approaching an owner directly

A short, polite note or visit can work when you have done your homework. Say what you would keep, such as the team and the name, and offer to sign a confidentiality agreement before any numbers change hands. Be ready for a no, and thank the owner either way. A courteous approach leaves the door open for later, and owners do talk to one another.

• Write down your target area, studio type and the kind of team you would want to keep.
• Ask each source whom they act for before you share your budget.
• Keep a list of studios you have approached and when.

Once you find a candidate, what you are actually buying in a piercing studio is the next question, and a similar search for a dance studio shows how the same channels work for another small studio.