WHITESBURG, Ky. ā For 11 years, The Parlor Room Tattoo Shop and Art Gallery has been John Haywoodās sanctuary. A place to let his passions come to life.
āItās good to know, itās good to know cause I built this one myself back when my first daughter was born. Itās got her name on it and did this little painting thing on the back,ā owner John Haywood said.
His doors at The Parlor Room in Whitesburg were open to anyone who wanted to express themselves.
āWe kept instruments and stuff here, so the shop was kind of like anybody who liked tattoos, art, music just would stop in,ā Haywood said. āYou didnāt have to have a tattoo to stop in here. Folks come in to look at the art or check out instruments or play something with us if we had time.ā
Recently, jam sessions have been put on pause. The flash floods that swept through Eastern Kentucky caused water damage inside Haywoodās shop.
āWe lucked out, really, that the water only got just only up to the splashguard,ā Haywood said.
Flooding is something Haywood is used to experiencing since growing up in Martin, Kentucky. Now heās dealing with the devastation first-hand as a business owner with instruments and sketches soaked in water.
āA lot of this stuff is still here, but itās kind of in a flimsy form now, you know. Thereās a lot of stuff here that goes back to when I was in college, even just getting out of high school and stuff,ā Haywood said.
Haywood is still trying to look on the bright side.
āI had already been thinking about ways I could kind of give the shop a makeover or something,ā Haywood said. āWhen youāre an artist, youāre also a little bit of a hoarder.ā
While cleaning up whatās salvageable with hopes one day heāll be back where it all began.
āItās like I donāt know what to do next, you know what I mean, I keep chipping away,ā Haywood said. āThis is just a good town for doing a DIY business.ā
At least 37 people have died in the Eastern Kentucky floods, according to Gov. Beshearās latest announcement.