VIP Profile: Kristin Robinette
Story by Emily Robertson
Kristen Robinette has always loved fashion. Growing up, you could always find her friends borrowing her clothes and Kristen loved to put together outfits in fun and interesting ways. So, after the Cave City native graduated from WKU with a degree in exercise science and nutrition and she moved to Nashville, it was no surprise that she found a job working in retail, but what started as a job at a local store turned into a dream for Robinette.
“At the store, I worked my way up,” Robinette says. “I started as a sales clerk, then I became a buyer and eventually an assistant manager. I was given experience that most people at that age would never get. I took every opportunity working with people in Nashville and I learned so much.”
Robinette eventually got weary of the big city life and left but came back to Bowling Green with a big idea and decided to open her very own retail store. She knew she wanted to be on the historic Fountain Square in downtown, but at the time, there were no spaces open in the area.
“I love to run, and I would run downtown every day,” Robinette says. “I figured I would be the first one to see if anything opened up and I was just sure God had a plan for the perfect space. Within a few weeks, a perfect space became available and Back Down South officially had a home.”
Robinette says that her heart is very much focused the downtown Bowling Green area. She loves that the downtown is known for boutiques and restaurants, and she was proud to be one of the seven stores to be open on the square at that time. Her family and her boyfriend at the time, who is now her husband, helped to build out the store by hand and her mom and grandmother were the first people to help with the store when she had no employees. Now, 10 years later, the store is still thriving in the very same location providing beautiful fashion for all kinds of women, no matter their age, size or style.
“I’m proud of the last 10 years,” Robinette says. “I’ve had the best staff over the last decade and it’s more like family with the people who have worked at the store. We have awesome customers who have become like family also. I love being able to dress our customers beautifully and maybe give them a little therapy, fashion and fun while they are in our store. We’ve had people who shopped with us our first week open and they are still shopping here. I’m so proud of the relationships we’ve made, and I’m honored to be in the community.”
One of the ways Back Down South has grown is by creating a community of women 25 years and older who have spent the last year helping to shape, promote and grow the store.
“They’ve become an essential part of our story,” Robinette says. “These women are accomplished, stylish and genuinely inspiring. This fall, we’re excited to welcome a new group of Insiders as we enter the second year of the program, and we hope to grow this community even more.”
With all the success of Back Down South, Robinette says her favorite roles in her life are still being a wife, mom and daughter. Robinette and her husband have a two-year-old, Rhodes, who is the center of their world. She says she’s also incredibly close to her mom, her siblings and her husband’s family.
Robinette is honored to be part of the BG 2050 Project; an initiative focused on gathering input about what citizens hope to see for Bowling Green in the next 25. She says she is passionate about downtown Bowling Green, and she found it fascinating to be a part of the panel at the end of the year. She has also been involved in the Woman’s Fund of South Central Kentucky for the last 10 years, as well as Sisterhood on WKU campus and Women of the Hills at Indian Hills Country Club.
Robinette says that her biggest inspiration and support has always been her mother. From a very early age, she watched her mom work hard and accomplish so much for her and her family.
“My mom, Mary Jane, is a true rock star. My dad died when I was younger, so she raised me and two siblings,” she says. “She has been my biggest supporter ever and she never missed a game when I was a cheerleader at WKU. Everyone loves my mother, because she is awesome. Now, she does all the things for my little boy. Plus, she is always dressed so cute and wearing items from Back Down South, so she is a walking advertisement for our store.”
As she celebrates her 10th year in business, she can’t help but look forward to the next 10 years and what could be.
“After seeing how quickly the last 10 years went, I can’t imagine how fast the next 10 will go,” Robinette says. “I hope in 10 years, we are still in the same spot, doing the same thing: selling pretty dresses, having great conversations and being a part of this wonderful community. With the growth of Bowling Green, it could be easy for the historic downtown to slip away, so I plan to work hard with the other businesses to make sure that this area is always a thriving, beautiful part of our city.”
