In a neighborhood marked by change, yet another institution has undergone a transformation in order to keep up with its increasingly cosmopolitan clientele.

Well, not exactly. The Page recently put in some new carpet out front and did some painting, and we here at Hoodline thought you should know. 

Although owner Bob Wait installed the new carpet on November 13th, the story starts back in 2005. That's when Wait originally put down Squared Off Merlot Red, a pattern and color brought to you by the folks at Atlas Carpet Mills, throughout the entire bar.

As time wore on, so too did the blood-red weavings beneath patrons' feet, so in 2012, Wait revamped the floors once again. However, he threw quite the curveball, varying the pattern and color of the upper and lower sections of the bar with Theory Cinder Block and Squared Off Coral Parfait, respectively. At the time, he set aside a remnant of Coral Parfait, and that's exactly what you'll find greeting you at the door today. 

Also included in the makeover: a snazzy new paint job for the front doors and the diamond behind the yucca plant on Page Street, both of which were formerly painted Oxford Brown. The diamond is now proudly emblazoned in Benjamin Moore's Pale Sunset.

"We don't normally bring about change at such a pace," Wait told us. "But in this case, someone had torn down the 'Please Keep Noise To a Conversational Level' sign on the front door, which put me in dialog with Golden West Signs about creating a new one. That led me to the idea of painting the door before the new sign went up. Staring at the door then led to me staring at the carpet. And then the diamond."

Wild stuff.

So why put down carpet in a place where people spill stuff all the time? "I miss carpeted lounges," Wait said. "They seem an endangered species, pushed aside by industrial finishes or reclaimed wood. There's a bygone intimacy."

"Carpet is also gentler, should one topple backward off a stool. And the geometries reminded me of a '60s-'70s aesthetic, which seems to roughly echo the feel of the bar overall."

The new accoutrements haven't gone unnoticed by employees of The Page. "I can't wait until the outside catches up with the inside," said longtime bartender Christine Lingys. "But I haven't slept on it yet."

One might think that after such drastic, sweeping changes to an otherwise classic haunt, Wait might cool his heels for a bit. But he already has more decor ideas in store.

"Emboldened, we won't be resting on our laurels in the new year. Already in the works is a full cleaning of the interior carpet, and the replacement of the scratched up men's room mirror.  We'll also be gradually reupholstering our bar stools with Welsh Upholstery, which has been doing a fine job with our chairs for many years," said Wait. 

Cheers to The Page, its fancy new carpet, and everything in between.