Black History Month
Built to Suit : One of Somerset ' s most notable African-Americans gives name to a home for heroes
By Christopher Harris
Louis Garrett was an expert tailor in Somerset and operated his own shop for over 40 years . He passed away at age 84 in 2005 .
Photo courtesy of Rod Zimmerman
Ask Janis Garrett Carter what her father Louis Garrett was like , and she ' ll note that he was strict — as dads tend to be — but generous , and thoughtfully so .
" We could go to Daddy for anything we needed ," recalled Carter , a resident of Versailles , Kentucky today . When one of Garrett ' s children would ask for spending money , Garrett — ever a savvy businessman — would ask " How much does it cost ?" of the thing his child was wanting , and " How important is it to you ?"
Today , people in Somerset are still going back to the late Louis Garrett to accomplish important things . Specifically , the creation of the Louis D . Garrett Veterans Village .
In October of 2024 , three small but cozy homes opened on Race Street , located off the southwest end of Bourne Avenue in downtown Somerset , that provide much-needed housing for U . S . Armed Forces veterans in the community .
It was a project by Habitat for Humanity of Pulaski County , Kentucky , and the Veterans Build program operated by the international non-profit organization that helps people in need of a home put in the work and sweat equity they need to build it for themselves , with the assistance of Habitat for Humanity volunteers .
The Veterans Village was named after Garrett , one of the most prominent and well-respected African-American figures from Pulaski County ' s past , known to so many around the community as an expert tailor before he passed away in 2005 at the age of 84 . Garrett ' s Tailor Shop opened in 1954 in downtown Somerset , serving the community for 43 years and fulfilling a lifelong dream for Garrett , who has decided what he wanted to do while in grade school . By the time he was in high school , Garret was doing minor alterations and repairs on his own clothing , and he carefully studied trends and styles beyond mere mechanical work .
In a past interview with the Somerset Commonwealth Journal , Garrett noted that men ' s fashions don ' t really change much ; rather , lapels , cuffs , and pleats tend to go in repetitive cycles . What did change was the diversity in wardrobe of the average person . Garrett noted that men in the 1950s normally had no more than one or two suits , but by the time he retired , it wasn ' t unusual for the men of the community to bring in half-adozen suits and even more new pairs of pants to be tailored .
After graduating Dunbar High School in 1941 as Salutatorian of his class , Garrett joined the U . S . Army and was a 1st Sergeant in the 9th and 27th Horse Cavalry . He was part of the group known as the " Buffalo Soldiers ," a nickname associated with African-American cavalry soldiers that originated in the Civil War .
After coming home from the Army in December of 1945 , Garrett used his G . I . benefits to enroll in the Foust-O ' Bannon Trade School in Louisville , to master his tailoring skills . He attended night school while working as a clerk . Upon returning to Somerset a few years later , he went to work for local tailor Emil Jarmer at the corner of Market and Main Streets .
Garrett eventually bought Jarmer ' s shop and opened it under his own name in April of 1954 . He moved it twice over the next 40 years — first to a building off Market Street , then to Zachary Way , where he remained until
26 • SEKY - Southeast Kentucky Life february 2025