johnny graham

Johnny Graham was an influential Dallas barber who founded Graham’s Barber Shops and Graham’s Barber College. He opened his first barber shop in 1951. Graham would open several more barber shops across the Dallas area.

Johnny Graham was named Texas Businessman of the Year in 1969, and he was given the first Johny Graham Progressive Achievement Award from the Professional Barbers Committee (1984)

Johnny Graham died in 1990, but his legacy lives on through his employees and the students who graduated from the college. There is now a Johnny Graham Scholarship for those who want to learn how to be a barber.

Historical Marker Inscription

Texas Historical Commission

Johnny Graham and Graham’s Barber Shop

Born in Mayo, Florida, to Will and Bertha Graham, Johnny Graham (1918-1990) served in the United States Army from 1942-1945 and moved to Texas shortly after. In 1948, he began school at Fort Worth Barber College and passed the Texas State Board of Barber Examiners. Johnny cut hair in Lucy King’s Barber Shop and traveled to Kaufman on weekends to cut hair in the local barber shop. On one of these weekend trips, he met LaFrance Moody whom he married in 1949. In 1951, Johnny Graham opened his first barber shop on Southland Street in Dallas. The shop was a success and seven years later, he opened a second shop and a third in 1960. During this time, African American communities were growing with bustling business districts in many areas which often included barber shops and beauty salons. Because of this boom and his commitment to respect, fairness and courtesy, Johnn Graham’s holdings grew to include seven barber shops, a barber college (1965) and a shopping strip by 1969.

Beyond haircuts, Johnny Graham’s barber shops provided a unique space for social discussion and support. Customers could get barber service and also talk about important issues in the community. Johnny’s hard work and dedication to the profession, his employees and the community earned him several awards, including the Texas Small Businessman of the Year Award (1969) and the inaugural Johny Graham Progressive Achievement Award from the Professional Barbers Committee (1984). The barber shop donated barber services to clients in need, traveled to the St. Paul Industrial Training School near Malakoff to provide free haircuts and participated in back to school events, cementing its reputation as a significant fixture in Dallas history, business and culture.

Marker is Property of the State of Texas

2019

Location

32° 46’ 39.450” N, 96° 45’ 55.212” W
Grand Ave, Dallas, TX  75210, United States