A BRISBANE tattoo parlour that was firebombed earlier this year — sparking fears of an all-out bikie war — has announced it will not reopen.
Koolsville Studios at Brendale, owned by senior Rebels outlaw motorcycle club member ‘Little Mick’ Kosenko, was smashed and set ablaze in early March amid rising tensions between the Rebels and rival club the Bandidos.
The firebombing followed the shooting and bashing of Rebels member and former MMA fighter Gokhan ‘Pitbull’ Turkyilmaz at his Upper Coomera home. That incident was seen as a revenge attack for the bashing and shooting of a Bandidos associate at the Logan Hyperdome in February, allegedly at the hands of Rebels bikies, eight of whom were later arrested.
The tattoo studio was badly damaged in the firebombing. A fundraiser concert it tried to stage in April was vetoed by police. Now, the studio has announced it will be closing permanently. “It is with broken hearts that we write this post today,” Mr Kosenko’s partner Tracey posted this week on Facebook.
“After every possible attempt to save Koolsville Studios we have exhausted all options and today we have been forced to make the decision to close down. We have been given the timelines now and it is just unrealistic to try to rebuild. We are currently discussing our future options of opening a new store etc. Mick wants to continue tattooing, we just have to work on the how.”
Mr Kosenko, who had been continuing to tattoo beneath the damaged studio, will do his last ink work at the site on August 10. The Kosenkos have also announced a fire sale of the entire contents of the studio and shop, including antique cash registers and even the stairs.
“It could be quite a few months before we know what the future holds,” Mrs Kosenko posted. “Once again, we would like to thank all our dear friends that we have made over the years and thank you for the incredible ongoing support over the last few trying years.”
Source: Courier Mail