“Sit where Andy sat”

Sit Where Andy Sat

From Mount Airy to Smiths Station – The Legacy Lives On

The story of Floyd’s City Barbershop begins in 1926, when a small-town barbershop opened its doors on Main Street in Mount Airy, North Carolina. Two decades later, in 1946, a young barber named Russell Hiatt stepped behind the chair. It was during those early years that a hometown boy named Andy Griffith began coming to Russell for haircuts, long before Hollywood came calling.

When Andy later created The Andy Griffith Show, he based the fictional town of Mayberry after his beloved hometown of Mount Airy. As the show gained fame, people began to notice that Russell — who had faithfully cut Andy’s hair in those early days — was the last hometown barber Andy ever had. Locals and visitors alike began affectionately calling Russell “Floyd,” after the show’s beloved barber.

Recognizing this connection, Russell eventually renamed the shop from City Barbershop to Floyd’s City Barbershop. From that moment on, the little shop became more than a place for trims and shaves — it became a destination for fans from around the world.

Over the decades, millions of visitors walked through its doors. They came to sit in the same chairs where Andy once sat, to chat with Russell, and to hang their photos on the famous walls. From the well-known to the everyday visitor, everyone was welcome — and their pictures still testify to the simple, universal magic of Mayberry.

Russell himself became a legend, faithfully running the shop until his later years, always ready with a smile, a story, and a handshake. His son, Bill Hiatt, continued the legacy after Russell’s passing, keeping the doors open so the Mayberry spirit could live on.

In time, however, the original Floyd’s City Barbershop closed. But the story did not end there. The very chairs where Andy Griffith sat — along with other original memorabilia — were preserved and entrusted into new hands.

Today, those same historic chairs reside in Smiths Station, Alabama, at Justin’s Barbershop. Here, the legacy continues. Guests who visit can still sit where Andy sat, feel the history of Mayberry, and connect to a heritage that shaped American culture.

This is more than just a tribute. It is a preservation of history — honoring Russell Hiatt, his family, and the countless lives touched by a small-town barbershop that became world-famous.

So whether you’re a lifelong Andy Griffith fan or simply someone who cherishes American history, come by and experience it for yourself. Take a seat, snap a photo, and step into Mayberry’s story.

Yes — you can still sit where Andy sat.