Today we’d like to introduce you to Perry Meeks.
Hi Perry, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
From Memphis, Tennessee I moved to Atlanta 12 years ago after landing a career in education at Westwood College. At the time, barbering was just a trade I kept in my back pocket for the times when corporate would start “corporate-ing”. Since 7th grade, I had been the hood barber. After school and in the summer at my Dad’s house, I’d do cuts in the bathroom by appointment – the den acting as a waiting room. It’s funny to think of it now how life was preparing me even then for today because I never once imagined that this skill would be the catalyst to the successes that I only dreamt of then. I was only trying make a little pocket money to take a date to a movie and save for my first car. After working dead-end jobs for years, I heard a sermon at church titled “What’s in Your Hands”.
The pastor was talking about the race to wealth and how people brainstorm on random ideas to obtain success when the answer to success is already IN OUR HANDS. A light bulb went off. I’d been running away from a skill that didn’t seem prestigious or glamorous enough to me to be considered a successful career. But now I realize this was my gift all along. Not just the cutting hair but the love of people, the rendering of service, etc. It’s only when you are walking in your gift that success will come. And when others see your commitment and consistency, you will attract the interest that will cause your other dreams to manifest.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In every uphill journey, there are stumbling blocks. Depression and Anxiety was kicking my ass the whole time. I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in 2012. I suffered horribly with panic attacks that caused physical and emotional fatigue. So many times I wanted to just give up and go back to Memphis. I kept telling myself to hold on. I believed that somebody else’s purpose was tied to my success.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What’s sets The Grain apart from other Barbershops/ Salons is that we are truly family. We rely on each other beyond co-workers relationships. Since the staff are all transplants from different cities, we regain a sense of family from our salon home. Our clients feel the warmth radiating from the team which in turn makes the feel warm and welcomed as well. Surprisingly, we are the first LGBQTIA+ openly excepting barbershop & salon in Atlanta which we are honored and esteemed to have the title for. We believe every one of ANY background deserves to have equal treatment and hospitality in a barber salon environment.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Salon Owners Ramsey Sheppard and Montana Humphries gave me my professional start in Atlanta and welcomed me & my “unique” clientele into the doors of the infamous Salon Ramsey of BET’s “Ink Paper Scissors” Reality Show where I was cast as a Celebrity Barber. To date, they still mentor me and are there for advice. I consider them family.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Dion Wells Jr. For group photos in nude colors
