Shake Rag District returning to its roots

BOWLING GREEN, KY.- The saying out with the old and in with the new is not true here in the Shake Rag district of Bowling Green, especially not for one local barbershop that’s been around for years.

Chris Page, the owner of the Shake Rag Barbershop, describes the environment for those who don’t know. He says, “We always say this is the black man’s country club. We come here and we are ourselves. Everybody’s welcome. But you’re going to get us…They’re doing a lot of revitalization with their riverfront park, and we’re going to be a part of that, because not only are we going to have a sacred barbershop, we’re going to have a sacred Bar and lounge, hopefully, and prayerfully coming by the end of the year. So yeah, we’re going to be a part of this. They ain’t going to leave us out.”

Damian Haas, the manager of The Mustang Club, tells us how combining crisp clippers with the reconstruction. Presents many opportunities for unity within the community. He says the building itself speaks a lot to why this all happened in the first place, and, there was a lot of local support in the community for that. So we’re actually kind of bringing back a spin of that, earlier era. ”

Bringing the Shake Rag district to life through historic buildings not only adds value to the buildings, but it also keeps history alive. Dale, a barber in the Shake Rag Barbershop tells us, “Third Street was a popular area in the days of Bowling Green. And if any of the black culture here, this was the limelight. So I tell people, come home.”

The construction being done is uniting the city and giving people a visual to see what it’s all about.

“What it’s really about is being part of a community that, has long been considered, a community that, not only is important to Bowling Green, but, has been a really a staple here.”

Chris also shares why its so important to remember history. He says, “If we don’t know where we been, we ain’t going to know where we’re going. “