The location of Barrow Eye Center is about to change, as is the function of one of Russellville’s most familiar locations.
Jon and Dr. Darla Barrow have purchased the building on Armory Drive which was most recently the Cattle Pen restaurant. Major remodeling will begin as soon as plans are complete to convert it into an optometry office.
Barrow Eye Center has been located at 709 East Fourth Street in Russellville for 16 years. The building is the former office of the late Dr. T.G. Threlkeld. It is on the extension of Fourth Street that goes up to Hill Street, across from the former Logan County Hospital.
“It has been a good location for us ever since we went into practice in 1998,” says Jon Barrow, who runs the office so that his wife can concentrate on caring for her patients’ vision needs. “We’ve outgrown it and need more space. Access to the office should be easier, too. We feel we can better serve people in this new office.”
Barrow says he considers his goals of being in the new office by January as realistic. “We’re going to keep the outer shell of the building, but we’ll convert it from a restaurant to a vision care facility.”
The Barrows also own the adjacent lot at the corner of East Fourth and Franklin streets. He says the lot and the current building will be for sale after the move.
The new building, which is located between McDonald’s and Lewisburg Banking Company, was originally the home of Tim Shook’s nautomobile dealership. When Shook moved to the adjacent lot which is now the Russellville Fire Department, it was converted into a restaurant. It has been a Bonanza, a Ponderosa, the Ole Mill and then the Cattle Pen.
Dr. Barrow is a native of Logan County and a graduate of Logan County High School. After completing her studies at Murray State University in biology and chemistry, she was accepted at Southern College of Optometry in Memphis. She graduated in 1998 and was awarded membership in the Beta Sigma Kappa International Optometric Honor Society. Dr. Barrow was awarded the Kentucky Young Optometrist of the Year 2000 to 2001 and served on the Kentucky Optometric Board of Trustees from 2005 to 2007. She currently is a member of the Logan County Health Board and is the treasurer for the Kentucky Eye Care Alliance.
She is an active member of New Friendship Baptist Church near Auburn. She and Jon have two children, Macon and Chaney.
A second optometrist has been a part of the practice for seven years.
Dr. Amanda Higdon is a native of Grayson County and a 1998 graduate of Grayson County High School. She graduated from the University of Louisville with a Bachelor of Science in biology. After graduating from the University of Louisville, she attended Southern College of Optometry in Memphis. As a student she was awarded outstanding clinician her fourth year and received membership into the Golden Key Honor Society.
Since her graduation in 2007, Dr. Higdon has been working at Barrow Eye Center. She is a member of the AOA and currently serves as the KOA Trustee for central Kentucky. Dr. Higdon and her husband, Dr. Justin Wilkins, reside in Franklin, with their son Austin.
Jon Barrow is a native of Logan County and a graduate of Logan County High School. Prior to opening Barrow Eye Center with his wife Darla, he attended Western Kentucky University for his Bachelor of Science and the University of Florida for his Master of Science. Jon is responsible for the day-to-day operations at Barrow Eye Center.
Shown in the group photo above, from left, are Rhonda Wood, Shelley Hines, Brianna Cole, Jill Vaught, Dr. Barrow, Jon Barrow, Dr. Higdon, Jeanie Danks, Janet Wright, and Erica Coursey.