Dapper opens inside Sterling Hotel

After nearly a year of renovations, downtown gentlemen’s barber club Dapper last week relocated to the former Sterling Hotel.

Owner Sean Brownfield said roughly 400 visitors turned out for the Dec. 10 opening at the company’s 6,200-square-foot space, 312 Park Central East, which is leased from The Vecino Group LLC for undisclosed terms.

“We’ve had a lot of difficulty keeping the building historic but running the modern conveniences of heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical,” Brownfield said regarding the opening, which was originally scheduled for early 2015.

He estimated startup costs for the new location were nearly $800,000. During the renovation process, the company temporarily occupied space at The Vecino Group’s nearby development dubbed The U at 318 Park Central East. The shop opened in 2013 on Park Central Square.

“Because we can’t run ductwork through the historic foyer and lobby, we have five different heating and cooling systems,” Brownfield added. “It’s that kind of stuff that takes a lot of time. The whole concept has grown as we’ve come closer to opening.”

In addition to five barbers’ chairs in the 1,100-square-foot barbershop, Dapper also features a 600-square-foot haberdashery dealing in men’s accessories, such as ties, cufflinks and jewelry, as well as Stetson hats, boots and shoes by Alden and Noah Waxman and pre-owned Rolex watches.

“The niche that we wanted to capture are small men’s accessories that have never been sold in the United States before,” Brownfield said, noting the store also carries good from such brands as Canadian jewelry company Clocks and Colours and Australian tie maker Otaa.

The haberdashery also would provide custom tailoring services, with an average per-shirt cost between $90 and $300 and going as high as $1,000, depending on fabrics and design features. Brownfield said the first round of 90-minute appointments in January already is booked.

Dapper is targeting the day after Christmas for the opening of its 2,600-square-foot members-only lounge in the building’s basement. Brownfield said the current membership of 185 would have access to the lounge during business hours via two secret passageways operated by thumbprint identification.

Once the lounge is open, Brownfield said he plans to hire an additional eight employees, adding to the current staff of five.