TAGGING UP

For years, graffiti lined the walls of the squat building at 3440 W. Broad St., first the home of Hillcrest Bowling Lanes and then a dilapidated eyesore after the bowling alley closed in 2011.

These days, the graffiti markers — called "tags" — covering the brick exterior represent a creative upgrade, eye-catching artwork that telegraphs what's inside: Lookout Supply, an art-supply shop catering to graffiti artists of all skill levels.

Justin Withrow officially opened the 1,000-square-foot store on Dec. 1. He moved it to the West Side from its much-smaller original location just south of Clintonville, where he had fielded some complaints from neighbors after he organized and helped create a graffiti mural around the corner at Baba’s restaurant on Summit Street.

His work in the new neighborhood, he said, has been less controversial.

“We’re trying to change some attitudes,” said Withrow, 31, of the South Side. “Most people hate tagging, and that’s what they think graffiti is."

Graffiti is rooted in tagging, he acknowledged, but it has blossomed into an art form in the past 50 years, with high-profile painters such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Banksy earning museum exhibitions.

"It’s more than just a marker," he said.

Nancy Rhynard sees a clear difference between the vulgar tags vandals sprayed onto the side of the vacant building she owns at 2347 W. Broad St. and Withrow's colorful street art. She commissioned Withrow — a West Virginia native who moved to Columbus to attend the Columbus College of Art & Design — to paint a mural on the property, which she sees as a complement to the piece by local artist Roger Williams across the street.

"There’s a place for traditional artwork, but sometimes we need something that makes people stop and look at it and come up with their own idea of what’s going on," Rhynard, 62, said. "The function (of tagging) is claiming territory, and the function of an artist like Withrow is to have you stop and think about the piece."

On opening night, Withrow flitted from the store counter to each customer who stopped by between noon and midnight. Even at 9:15 p.m., the stream of art aficionados, gawking neighbors and friends remained steady.

Ramsey Camarillo moved a year ago to Lincoln Village from Chicago where, he admitted, he “bombed,” or quickly painted, images on walls and train cars.

“When you’re growing up in Chicago, you drive on I-90 and you see the subways and ... you see these names," he said, explaining his youthful indiscretion. "You’re a super-dork, and you meet someone else who’s a super-dork, and you’re good at art — so you graffiti."

To remain on the right side of the law, Camarillo has transitioned to canvas creations. His girlfriend, Heidi Cline, clutched an armload of paint cans in orange, blue, pink, green and white while Camarillo browsed the merchandise.

Lookout stocks the Italian spray-paint brand Kobra in both high- and low-pressure cans, depending on whether artists plan to cover a swath of space or create intricate lines.

Art stores often lock spray paint behind bars — the cans are easy to steal and have high resale value — but Withrow said he thinks artists should have open access. At Lookout Supply, black plastic milk crates filled with cans in every color line the back wall all the way to the ceiling.

Josh Miller dabbled in graffiti for much of his young-adult life. Although he now prefers to support other artists — Miller organizes the annual 2x2 Hip-Hop Festival in the parking lot that now serves Lookout Supply and a motorcycle mechanic shop — he tries to stop by graffiti shops in every major city he visits, he said.

“For a place like Columbus, it’s so important we have one,” said Miller, 30. “The scene, in my eyes, can't thank Justin enough for going out on a limb and doing this.”

One roadblock to the longevity of traditional graffiti methods is the legal risk artists often take to tag a public building. Illegal graffiti in Ohio — vandalism — could land artists up to three years of jail time or a $10,000 fine, the punishment for a third-degree felony.

Withrow, who recently completed a mural commissioned for the Gravity Project development in Franklinton, said he chose the West Side location for Lookout Supply’s because of the blank walls on the back of the building. He has already completed one mural there inspired by the animated TV series "The Simpsons," and he said he plans to host events for others to tag the wall as well.

“If you want to let loose and go on a wall, you can,” he said.

Inside the shop, he said, he hopes to offer blackbook (graffiti sketchbook) exchanges, workshops and concerts.

“I’m really trying to build a platform for other artists to share work," he said, "a place you’d love to come bring a canvas and start painting just because it’s the place to be."

joller@dispatch.com

@juliaoller

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