Boxing gym Pepper Boxing is preparing to open its third location. It will join Dunwoody with a 3,500-square-foot location at 4505 Ashford Dunwoody Rd. Owner Alexander Kaufman told What Now Atlanta that they are targeting an October opening.
Pepper Boxing is known for its hands-on cardio boxing classes. It already has locations open in Midtown and Buckhead.
The Dunwoody location will have some new additions, including an exclusive room specifically dedicated to private training. There will also be more tools on-site, ranging from double-end bags to slip bags and speed bags.
“We’ve improved the model and buildout to make it less expensive but to make it feel more high-end,” Kaufman said.
The brand differentiates itself from other gyms by featuring a circular heavy-bag layout with an instructor positioned in the middle to guide participants and do demonstrations throughout the workout. The classes are boxing-intensive compared to many other options on the market.
“We’re boxing with a little bit of bootcamp. Our competitors are bootcamp with a very little bit of boxing,” Kaufman said. “That’s historically what has kept us safe — we are the more authentic, fun, cool modality against our competitors.”
Kaufman sees the boxing workouts as an optimal way for people to feel productive and get in a strong cardio workout that is a deviation from usual options like treadmills and cycling.
“We’re spreading the message and being available for anyone and everyone all the time to come in and just get out whatever they have inside,” Kaufman said. “That’s something that I don’t think a lot of modalities offer. Dumbbell curls are great — they’re easy to learn and give you nice biceps — but do you feel like you’ve accomplished something after them? At Pepper Boxing, you feel like you’ve grown as an athlete and you are ready to conquer the day.”
The team was also eyeing Alpharetta for a fourth location, but the negotiations for the site they were looking into fell through. However, they are still hoping to secure a spot in that market to round out their Atlanta offerings.
Moving forward, Kaufman is looking to transition Pepper Boxing to a franchise model. In addition to Alpharetta, they are looking into franchising in other major Southeast cities like Nashville and Tampa to usher the brand into its next era of growth.
“The future of the brand is bright and we’re very excited about it,” Kaufman said. “We foresee the franchise model as a way to expedite our growth while still sharing the mission, the model and the philosophy [of the brand].”
Kaufman said he is looking forward to bringing boxing-intensive workouts to a new community through the Dunwoody location, focusing on their goal to bring people rewarding workouts.
“We are fitness not fighting. We empower people but don’t put them in a place where they need to fight,” Kaufman said. “I’m looking forward to Dunwoody because it’s nice to spread the message and it’s nice to make people feel empowered.”
