Live by the Sword and Square Bring NYC’s Favorite Walk-In Tattoo and Piercing Shop to Times Square

Square (XYZ) announced that customer Live by the Sword opened a Times Square tattoo and piercing location on October 31, 2026.

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The multi-concept New York City beauty and personal care brand is expanding to its most iconic location yet, powered by Square’s unified commerce platform

DISTRIBUTED-WORKFORCE/OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Square today announced that Live by the Sword, New York City’s beloved walk-in tattoo, piercing, and salon brand, is opening its newest location in Times Square powered by Square’s unified commerce platform. What started as a pop-up booth in Williamsburg, Brooklyn has grown into a multi-location, multi-concept operation spanning tattoo studios, piercing shops, and a full-service hair salon, all running on Square. With their Times Square opening on October 31, 2026, Live by the Sword is bringing its signature experience of exceptional quality, accessible pricing, and genuine community to one of the world’s highest traffic destinations.

Photo courtesy of Live by the Sword

From a Williamsburg Booth to a Times Square Flagship

Live by the Sword was built with a vision: that tattoos and piercings should be both accessible and excellent. Co-owners Rudy Temiz and Greg Ferreira grew the brand organically, earning a loyal following through their hand-painted interiors, walk-in availability, and a same-day service model that meets customers where they are. Their ethos of, “Get what you want, when you want” has become the foundation of one of New York City’s most recognized names in tattoo and piercing culture.

At the time of the brand’s founding in 2017, Live by the Sword selected Square not after a sales pitch, but as a result of their own research and needs. As Live by the Sword transitioned from a pop-up, to a permanent location, to a multi-concept operation, the founders sought a technology partner who could scale with them. Today, Live by the Sword is powered by Square Stand for in-shop point-of-sale (POS) mobility, the Square Terminal for counter check-out, and an Intuit Quickbooks integration for streamlined sales and tax reporting. Supported by Square hardware and software, the brand has achieved 10x gross payment volume (GPV) growth in six years.

“We didn’t choose Square because someone sold us on it. We chose it because it offered a solution to our goals and it worked – from day one, when we were just starting out, and every day since,” said Rudy Temiz, Co-Owner, Live by the Sword. “As we’ve grown from one booth to three brick-and-mortar locations and now to our Times Square flagship, Square has been the constant that keeps everything running, from bookings to payments to rewarding our regulars.”

From Artist Appointments to Walk-In Flexibility

Tattoo studios, piercing shops, and salons operate distinctly from most businesses. They depend on a balance of walk-in availability, scheduled visits to see individual artists using Square Appointments, and deep customer relationships that reward ongoing loyalty. To enable these necessities, Live by the Sword has built a robust customer retention engine on Square Loyalty, Email Marketing, and SMS Marketing: the tools that keep the brand’s community engaged between visits and bring regulars back time and time again. When the team expanded into a full-service hair salon at its Williamsburg location, Square supported that concept too, demonstrating the platform’s adaptability across multiple service models under one brand.

Co-founder Rudy Temiz has been an active voice in shaping how Square’s products evolve for businesses like Live by the Sword. His direct feedback on Square Appointments and Squaremates (formerly known as Managerbot) has directly influenced product thinking and development at Square – a reflection of the kind of partnership that distinguishes long-tenured, highly invested sellers on the platform.

“Live by the Sword really demonstrates how Square is built to handle everything sellers want to offer across their products and services,” said Matt Deiters, Head of Audiences at Square. “They didn’t just choose Square for payments, they chose us for everything including appointments, loyalty, and marketing to handle the unique operational demands of high-touch, creative businesses. What Rudy and Greg have built from a single booth in Brooklyn into a multi-location brand flagshipped in Times Square is extraordinary. The fact that they did it entirely on Square, by choice, from the very beginning is one of the best things you can say about a product. It's very special to us to have been part of it.”

Times Square: A New Stage for NYC’s Favorite Walk-In Experience

The Times Square location, which opened October 31, 2026 marks Live by the Sword’s most visible address to date and the next chapter of a brand that has never exited growth mode. With millions of visitors passing through Times Square each year, the new location will bring Live by the Sword’s walk-in tattoo and piercing experience to a transient audience, while continuing to serve the loyal New York City community the brand has built over nearly a decade.

To learn more about how Square powers beauty and personal care businesses, visit squareup.com.

About Live by the Sword

Live by the Sword is a New York City favorite walk-in tattoo and piercing brand, offering same-day service across multiple locations city-wide. Founded in 2017 as a pop-up booth in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the brand has grown into a multi-concept operation encompassing tattoo studios, piercing shops, and a full-service hair salon all known for exceptional quality, accessible pricing, and community-first hospitality.

For more information, visit livebytheswordtattoo.com.

About Square

Square helps businesses turn transactions into connections and businesses into neighborhood favorites.

In 2009, Square started with a simple invention – the first mobile card reader, which changed how the entire financial system thinks about small businesses. Square has since grown into a global business platform helping millions of sellers of all sizes participate and thrive in their communities.

Whether independently run or a global chain, Square understands that sellers succeed when they have the freedom to focus on the experiences that keep customers coming back. From point of sale and payments to online commerce, staff management, cash flow tools, and more, Square brings together the tools sellers need to run and grow on one intelligent platform. For more information, visit squareup.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261104189343/en/

Media Contact:
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press@squareup.com

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Key Terms

gross payment volume financial

Gross payment volume (GPV) is the total dollar value of all transactions processed through a payments platform or marketplace over a period, measured before fees, refunds or adjustments. It shows how much activity the service handles—like measuring how many groceries pass through a store—to signal scale and customer usage; investors use GPV to gauge growth and market share, while remembering it does not equal revenue or profit.

point-of-sale technical

The point-of-sale is the place and moment where a customer completes a purchase — think of the checkout counter, card reader, or online checkout page. It includes the hardware and software that record the sale, accept payment, and update inventory and sales records. Investors care because POS systems drive revenue collection, customer data, and operational efficiency; outages, fees, or weak data from POS can directly affect sales, margins and forecasts.