A Vision in Ink

Up about 100 feet on the right side of Railroad Street we come across Nerdy Visions. Opened in 2020 in the heat of the pandemic Nerdy Visions is a very proud new member of the North Canaan community. Nerdy Visions is a new twist on a tattoo parlor. Owner Joe Murph lends his “Vision” to help people envision themselves with new tattoos. Tattooing is nothing new to Murph, he’s been in the business since 2011 at various shops around the state, although North Canaan is the first shop of his own. Hailing from Danbury, Conn., Murph spent a lot of time in the area as a kid and young adult at Lone Oak Campsites in East Canaan, so when the time came to open his own place, he knew he wanted it to be North Canaan. Not only because he loved the area, but also because it was an untapped market.

The nature of an untapped market is both tantalizing and horrifying, is it untapped because nobody’s tried, or is it because many have tried and all have failed? Well in this case it’s the former because North Canaan has never seen a tattoo parlor. It’s a daunting thought as it’s not a very “Canaan” business in the sense that it’s not a traditional business: it’s not an auto repair shop, a doctor’s office, or a quarry. With that in mind, I asked if fitting into the community has been an issue thus far. The answer was a resounding no. The only real backlash they faced was on social media, “I can remember all the derogatory remarks when I was first opening, and there were even people saying ‘they won’t last.’” This is something that caused Joe to get rid of his Facebook page, you can still find him on Instagram @nerdyvisionsgallery, because of all the negativity from people that have no clue who he is or what he’s about. He found that negativity isn’t something he was particularly interested in as positivity is the theme behind his business, “I want to portray myself as the hand that extends rather than the one that slaps away.”

Video game nights are a community element Nerdy Visions have offered. Tyler, one of the apprentices at the shop, is the one who has put most of the planning on his own shoulders. He’s hoping to hold video game nights on a more regular basis soon, with Friday night events for all ages. From 7 to 11 p.m., Nerdy Visions will open its doors to anyone that wants to come to play or watch video games, ranging from your classics such as an N64 up to Playstation or the Nintendo Switch. These events are child-friendly, sober events that way everyone can have a good time together. The main event is a tournament with one grand prize for the winner. Nerdy Visions has quickly become part of the community and it’s thanks to efforts such as these game nights, little things that show they not only want to stay in business but want to be accepted as a true part of the community.

Panther tattoo by Tyler Barker. Photo courtesy of Nerdy Vision

Tomie horror manga tattoo by Raf Luiz. Photo courtesy of Nerdy Vision

Heath Ledger’s Joker by Joe “Murph” Atherton.

Panther tattoo by Tyler Barker. Photo courtesy of Nerdy Vision

Latest News

East Canaan's CowPots to face the 'Sharks'

Amanda Freund of East Canaan will appear on the television show "Shark Tank" on April 4 to pitch CowPots.

Photo by Ruth Epstein

CANAAN — Fans of the television show “Shark Tank,” stay tuned. On Friday, April 4, Amanda Freund of East Canaan will be facing the panel, imploring members to invest in her unique product: cow poop.

Freund and her father Matthew Freund produce and market CowPots, which are made from the abundance of manure found on their dairy farm. Matthew Freund, realizing cows were producing more manure — 100 pounds per cow per day — than was needed for fertilizing fields for crops, came up with the concept of the pots. Years of trial-and-error experimentation finally resulted in success. In 2006 he began selling the biodegradable pots using 100% composted manure to local stores. Now the pots can be found in outlets across the country, as well as internationally.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hotchkiss lacrosse ices Kingswood Oxford 19-0

LAKEVILLE — The Hotchkiss School opened the girls varsity lacrosse season with a big win in the snow against Kingswood Oxford School.

The Bearcats won 19-0 in a decisive performance March 26. Twelve different players scored for Hotchkiss, led by Coco Sheronas with four goals.

Keep ReadingShow less
HVRHS releases second quarter honor roll

FALLS VILLAGE — Principal Ian Strever announces the second quarter marking period Honor Roll at Housatonic Valley Regional High School for the 2024-2025 school year.

Highest Honor Roll

Grade 9: Parker Beach (Cornwall), Mia Belter (Salisbury), Lucas Bryant (Cornwall), Addison Green (Kent), Eliana Lang (Salisbury), Alison McCarron (Kent), Katherine Money (Kent), Mira Norbet (Sharon), Abigail Perotti (North Canaan), Karmela Quinion (North Canaan), Owen Schnepf (Wassaic), Federico Vargas Tobon (Salisbury), Emery Wisell (Kent).

Keep ReadingShow less
Thomas Ditto

ANCRAMDALE — Thomas Ditto of Ancramdale, born Thomas David DeWitt Aug. 11, 1944 in New York City changing his surname to Ditto at marriage, passed peacefully on Pi Day, March 14, 2025. He was a husband, father, artist, scientist, Shakespeare scholar, visionary, inventor, actor, mime, filmmaker, clown, teacher, lecturer, colleague, and friend. Recipient of numerous grants, awards and honors in both the arts and sciences, a Guggenheim and NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts fellow, he was a creative genius beyond his time. In addition to authoring scores of papers, he held several patents and invented the first motion capture system and the Ditto-scope, a radically new kind of telescope. He was a pioneer in computer generated video, film, and performance.

When not hard at work, he was always there to help when needed and he knew how to bring smiles to faces. He loved his family and pets and was supportive of his wife’s cat rescue work.

Keep ReadingShow less