A tattoo shop which scooped a major award after inking celebrities Kerry Katona and Tamara Ecclestone now has its sights set on national stardom.

Black & Even in Tunbridge Wells has tattooed thousands of customers over the last eight years and has now been crowned the best in Kent.

It all started on a random evening at The Farm House in West Malling, when owner Steve Legg stumbled upon his now business partner, Joey Savastano.

The pair, both from Halling, were working as foreign exchange traders at the time, but wanted to go into the creative industry.

“It’s always been a passion of ours,” Steve told KentOnline. “It was going to be a little side hobby.

“But we just fell in love with it.

“I met Joey in the pub as I was starting it up and asked him what he did – turns out he was an avid tattooist.

“I told him I had just opened a shop and that’s how we became best mates and business partners.”

Steve decided to take the chance in 2015 to launch his own place called Black & Even in Upper Grosvenor Road.

The 39-year-old said: “It was a weird moment of something to be proud of, but also like ‘we have got to blag this and make it work’.

“We taught each other a lot. It’s really reputation and word of mouth why anyone does well.”

Joey added: “We didn’t really know what to expect from it – people wanted to keep coming back and it sort of spread like wildfire.”

Eight years later and more than a thousand customers served, the team have been crowned the best tattoo shop in the county.

They won the title at the England Business Awards, which was held in the Harbour Hotel Guildford on Sunday, October 1.

The team were up against around four to five other independents that were nominated.

“It’s nice to be recognised for our hard work, it’s fair to say we have always wanted it,” Steve explained.

“Especially when you look back and there were days when you would just hope someone would come in the shop.

“To be nominated and to win is massive really.

“It’s amazing. I think you always try and do the right thing, on the hope that you are successful.”

He added: “We were probably more shocked that we had to go up and accept the award.

“It was a mixture of excitement, gratitude and wine.”

Over the years the shop has seen its fair share of unusual requests.

“One guy came in and wanted me to put to eyeballs on his bum,” Joey said. “That one stands out to me. It’s all relative isn’t it?

“What I find crazy might not be crazy to them. Nothing really is that weird anymore.”

“Yesterday I pierced a 70-year-old man’s belly button,” Steve recalled.

‘Nothing really is that weird anymore.’

“It’s more the people you meet than what they want.

“For example, there’s a lovely local lady called Mary who got her first tattoo ever at 84.”

Not only do they ink elderly retirees, but the pair have been commissioned to create designs on a number of celebrities.

Former Atomic Kitten singer and TV personality Kerry Katona, as well as her daughter Lilly-Sue McFadden have popped in several times to be tatted.

The 43-year-old was the winner of the third I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2004, and the runner-up of Celebrity Big Brother during 2011.

At the time Steve says he didn’t recognise her voice over the phone and was shocked to see her turn up for the first appointment.

He added: “When you see them on TV and you’re looking at them thinking, ‘oh yeah we did that’.

“It’s weird but a really good feeling.”

Joey also tattooed reality star Joss Mooney, who was a contestant on Ex on the Beach, as well as socialite and model Tamara Ecclestone.

The shop owners are also not afraid of sticking to their moral principles in guiding their business forward having previously vowed to ban customers who share racist abuse online.

After winning the regional award, they now have their sights set on being named the top in the UK.

“I think we’d be lying if we said no,” Joey said.

“We got a lot of recognition after this, people have been coming up to us out of the blue saying congratulations.”

“It’s all down to the public vote,” Steve added. “We have a good following and our customers are the best.”

It is yet to be announced where and when the event will be taking place.