CLERMONT, Ga. – At midday the little, three-chair barber shop in Clermont was empty Monday which was a bit of a shock since it had been closed for four weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic and men were anxious to get a haircut.

So why no customers? After all, owner Jimmy Adams is the best dang barber in Georgia.. He does a thriving business even though his shop is a little remote — just a stone’s throw from the Lumpkin, White and Hall county lines.  The shop is usually full, especially on Saturdays, when most men have time for a shave and haircut. His customers are farmers, businessmen and a few politicians. Gov. Nathan Deal has been a regular for years. So has Congressman Doug Collins. Men drive for miles to come to this barber shop.

Jimmy laughed when he was asked where his customers were. “They were all waiting outside when we opened up this morning,” he said. “Some of them waited in their cars until it was their turn. It was busy then. It’s slowed up some now.”

He was wearing a protective mask and he pointed some sort of temperature-taking device at customers before seating them.   “We’re required to do this now,” he explained. COVID-19 has changed a lot of things in America and around the world.

Jimmy has been a barber for 55 years. I’ve been a customer for 30 years. His shop on Thompson Bridge Road in Gainesville used to be a five minute drive from my house. But then Kroger opened up and he moved a lot farther away. But still worth the drive.

He said he the four-week closure didn’t hurt him much. In fact, he welcomed the respite from the barbering business. He also owns a poultry farm. “I was really getting behind on that work so I used the time off to catch up,” he said.

He was more interested in talking about one of his favorite topics than the pandemic. So he talked about politics. He likes the president, but he didn’t like him criticizing Gov. Kemp’s decision to open business back up. “He shouldn’t have said that,” he said. Good to have him back at the barber’s chair.

Adams Barber Shop

Hours 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and 7a.m. until 11 a.m. Saturday. Closed Tuesday.

Location: 5225 Dahlonega Hwy. Clermont

$14 for a haircut; $5 for a beard trim.

Phone: 770-983-5755