9. Old town Tatu (Chicago)
Customers looking to get tattoo work done at Chicago’s Old town Tatu, may be surprised to find more than body artwork at this haunted shop. In the 1880s, this spot was home to Chicago’s first established funeral parlor. Richie “Tapeworm” Hererra saw potential in this former mortuary and converted the rented building into a tattoo shop in 2003. But the artists and visitors were spooked by all kinds of unnatural activity, including poltergeists that moved objects and a ghostly apparition of a man in a suit. Sadly, owner Richie Hererra passed away of a heart attack while in the building. However, his friends believe his spirit lingers, looking over the staff and sometimes even playing practical jokes.
Ownership since Richie’s death in 2006 of a heart attack in the shop has passed to friends of Richie who out of respect renamed the place old town tatu upon his death, and plan on turning the shop over to Richie’s son Odin, when Odin graduates college. Activity is still present and it is believed that even tapeworm may live in the house now. New employees who use his work station report electrical outages. When someone who knew tapeworm uses the station it works perfectly.
The shop is plagued with poltergeist activity. A mask on the wall has flown off several times, the keys have flown off the counter. Before Richies passing, he and Nick, a current owner, where staying in there upstairs apartment with their dog Rocky. Nick was sleeping while Ritchie was away. Nick was awakened by the door opening and closing, and figured it was either Richie returning, or the dog. It stopped for a while, than it started again, so he investigated. Richie was not there and the dog was locked out on the back porch.
