Downtown barbershop owner anticipating Final Four, new hotels, 'big boom ahead'

Although it looks like a time capsule from the 1930s, Red’s Classic Barber Shop in downtown Indianapolis was founded in 2007 by Alexandra Ridgway, Michael Ridgway and Roy Stevenson. They wanted to transport customers back to the era of traditional gentlemen’s barbering, populating it with antique furniture, equipment and supplies. In 2022, Red’s was purchased by William Hogg, a barber who has been managing the shop since its early days. He sometimes can be seen cutting the hair of prominent Indiana politicians, and his client list has included our four most recent governors.

For this week's podcast, Hogg took a break between appointments to discuss how Red’s benefits from downtown’s big tourism events (including the upcomning Final Four), as well as the recent surges in residential and hotel development. He also digs into the value of the shop’s location at the literal crossroads of the Midwest as Red’s claws its way back from the pandemic years. And he shares his street-level perspective on the growth of downtown over nearly two decades and whether it’s as dangerous as some have persistently portrayed it.