If you drop by Grady's Cuts in Lawrenceville on the right day, you may find an open seat next to Richard Seymour, Andruw Jones or a member of the Falcons.
Across the street from Discover Mills sits a posh barbershop with high-backed, black-leather chairs, a shop owned by Grady Jackson, a former Falcons defensive lineman.
"We have quite a few celebrities to come through here to get their hair cut," Jackson said recently. "They like the way the barbershop is set up, and they like the atmosphere. There's nobody hounding them for autographs. It's laid-back and cool in here."
Jackson has 10 chairs, and the shop is decorated in a sports theme. He has memorabilia from his stops in the NFL.
In the back of the shop, on a recent visit, young kids were using the PlayStation computer. In the lively middle section, young adults were arguing the merits of the NBA Finals and how Los Angeles' Kobe Bryant was set to show the world that he is better than Cleveland's LeBron James.
"Most go with Kobe, but some are still for LeBron," Jackson said.
Jackson previously owned a restaurant and club nearby, but found that was time-consuming. Jackson has never cut hair, but likes the atmosphere of a barbershop.
"I've got some good guys working here," Jackson said. "It's like a family. I have one female barber, too."
She does cuts, braids or twists.
While Jackson hopes to play at least two more years in the NFL, he's looking ahead.
"You have to look at stuff to start doing after football," Jackson said. "This was one of them. The club and restaurant business was another thing, but I got out of that because you've got to be there in the restaurant. I sold my shares in that and had to think about doing something else."
There's empty space next to Jackson's shop that he's keeping an eye on. He would like to add four more chairs, get a salon for his wife and add more games and perhaps a pool table.
Jackson played 16 games for the Falcons in 2006 and seven in 2007 before he was released by coach Bobby Petrino. Jackson promptly signed with Jacksonville, whose defensive coordinator was Mike Smith.
After landing the job as Falcons head coach, Smith was fine with the run-stuffing Jackson re-signing with the Falcons. But after the 2008 season, Jackson was one of five defensive starters who were not re-signed. It was off to lowly Detroit, where he played in 15 games last season.
"It was a new experience, going in to a team that went 0-16 [in 2008] and you are there to help get things turned around," Jackson said. "It was a process to try to rebuild and get dominant."
Jackson is just fine with owning Grady's Cuts, but doesn't believe his 13-year NFL is over.
"Yeah, I want to keep playing," Jackson said. "I'm sure there are some opportunities out there."
Jackson believes the labor strife between the owners and the players association has kept some veterans on the sidelines.
"A lot of people thought the teams would go out there and just start spending the bank," Jackson said. "It's disappointing because a lot of people thought the bank was going to be open."
But for now, Jackson, who said he's in great shape at 335 pounds, will work on his barbershop expansion.
"I'm from Alabama, so I'm close to my hometown," Jackson said. "Being close to home is the good thing about it."
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