Hair salon owner wins Clayton County permit fight
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After a year-long fight, business owner Khalilah Few was granted a permit to open her hair salon in Clayton County. Photo: Courtesy of Institute for Justice
Georgia's Clayton County will allow hair salon owner Khalilah Few to open her natural hair shop in the area more than a year after Few sued over a rejected permit.
Why it matters: The county's unanimous approval comes after it rejected Few's permit based on its assessment that the area where she wanted to open was already "saturated" with similar businesses.
The latest: The Clayton County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a conditional use permit so Few can open Creative Crowns Collective in a storefront she's been renting in unincorporated Jonesboro.
- Will Aronin, an attorney with the Institute for Justice, which represented Few, told Axios while they are thrilled their client can open her business, they will keep pushing Clayton County to change its ordinance to spell out that "protectionism is not a reason to deny" a permit or license.
- "They don't get to just deny people because they think the right number of barber shops is three, and therefore the fourth person is screwed," he said.
What they're saying: Few said she's relieved the process is over, but told Axios the county violated her constitutional rights with its saturation argument.
- She said she's spent at least $30,000 in rent over the last year for the space in Clayton County and on another space she used to keep her business going.
- Few had to take out loans and lean on the support from family and friends to make ends meet. "If I didn't have that kind of community around me, I really could have been in financial ruins," she said.
- Few said she will finalize renovations on the Clayton County space and hopes to open within the next few weeks.
The other side: Clayton County did not respond to Axios' request for comment.
Catch up quick: In 2025, Few signed a lease for space at 9526 S. Main St. in unincorporated Jonesboro.
- In March 2025, she submitted the required conditional use permit with the county to open her natural hair and braiding salon.
- A planning and zoning consultant recommended denial, stating the business did not align with Clayton County's 2039 Comprehensive Plan and there were three similar businesses in the immediate area.
- "The goal is to eliminate saturation of the same use and seek uses that encourage the highest and best use of the property," the consultant wrote in the recommendation.
- The Board of Commissioners rejected Few's request on July 15, 2025.
Flashback: In 2024, the Institute for Justice filed a similar lawsuit on behalf of a woman who wanted to open a hair braiding business in the city of South Fulton.
- The City Council rejected Awa Diagne's request based on a similar argument, but a Fulton County judge in December ordered the city to allow her to open her business.