When he launched his barber shop brand in 2015, Robert Hopper initially planned to open The Commodore at Ponce City Market. At the time, his space fell through, but now, he is back where he started in what Hopper described as “a full-circle moment” in an interview with What Now Atlanta.
A decade after he started The Commodore, Hopper is bringing its fifth location to the second floor of the Central Food Hall at Ponce City Market, taking over part of the 3,500-square-foot space that formerly belonged to Root Baking Co. The new spot is slated to open in late 2025 and will join existing locations at Buckhead, Chamblee, Roswell and West Midtown.
Hopper will be partnering with longtime team member and master barber Peter Terrones to open this location. As he has done with the past couple locations, Hopper is aiming to bring his employees onto the ownership team so they can grow with the brand.
The new shop will have six barber chairs. The Commodore emphasizes giving each shop a unique personality, and the Ponce City Market location will be no different. They are working with Buildhouse on the design for this location, which will feature white marble, dark oak and 1950s antique Takara Belmont barber chairs, according to a release.
The Commodore focuses on providing high-quality experiences and cuts, which Hopper feels differentiates it from competition. They use UK-based techniques and offer barbering services such as haircuts, beard trims and straight razor shaves. Customers also can enjoy a complimentary espresso and beer during their visit.
“A lot of the brands cater to quick, cheap, fast cuts. And that’s really not our market,” Hopper said. “So we allocate more time for service and make sure a lot of our team is trained internationally. We all do regular continuing education for The Commodore. We really prioritize the technical precision aspect of hair cutting and just the whole experience.”
Moving forward, Hopper and his team hope to expand to other key markets like Tampa. He foresees expansion to about half a dozen more locations.
“We’re more of a quality-over-quantity brand, and I don’t see us throwing out hundreds of locations around the U.S.,” Hopper said. “But the goal is just to create opportunities for guys on the team to become owners and partner with us and our brand and continue to expand into some other key markets.”
