Building the infrastructure for the independent service economy.
ShopHop is transforming how independent service professionals access workspace — connecting underutilized commercial space with entrepreneurs who need flexibility, affordability, and opportunity.
Why we exist
It started with one empty chair.
One empty chair, on a Tuesday afternoon, in a shop the owner couldn't afford to keep half-full.
Across town, one talented artist with a full book of clients and nowhere to put them — turned away by year-long leases, deposits she didn't have, and overhead that punished anyone trying to start.
One shop owner losing revenue. One artist losing income. One broken system between them.
ShopHop was built to connect them.
Who we are
A Chicago technology company with a national mission.
ShopHop is a technology company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. We operate a marketplace that helps independent service professionals — tattoo artists, barbers, stylists, estheticians, nail technicians, and wellness providers — access professional workspace on demand.
At the same time, we help business owners monetize underutilized capacity, increase occupancy, and reach a new generation of operators.
Two sides of the same broken market. One platform built to fix it.
The problem
The independent workforce has changed. The infrastructure hasn't.
Millions of professionals are working independently. Yet most workspace models still demand:
- Long-term leases that lock out new operators
- Fixed overhead that punishes a slow week
- High startup costs that block young talent
- Empty commercial space nobody profits from
- Book workspace by the hour
- Reduce fixed costs
- Expand into new neighborhoods
- Scale on your own terms
- Monetize unused capacity
- Increase occupancy
- Generate incremental revenue
- Access a new customer base
Our solution
Market opportunity
A massive economy, hiding in plain sight.
The independent service economy is one of the largest, fastest-shifting workforces in the country — and the most underserved by software.
Vision
Become the leading operating system for independent service professionals — globally.
What we stand for
Six values. Zero compromises.
These aren't poster words. They're the filters every product decision, hire, and partnership runs through.
Everything begins with improving the lives of working professionals. If a decision doesn't make a pro's day better, we don't ship it.
Identity verification, secure payments, and accountability built into the foundation — not bolted on later.
Technology should remove barriers to entrepreneurship, not add them. We delete friction for a living.
Strong independent businesses create stronger neighborhoods. We grow block by block, city by city.
We've sat in the chair. We've signed the lease. We've watched the empty afternoon. We build from experience.
The independent service economy is the largest workforce nobody built tools for. We're here to change that.
Why Chicago
Built in Chicago. By operators. For operators.
Chicago is one of America's greatest entrepreneurial cities — a working-class town with a hospitality backbone, a creator-class culture, and neighborhoods built on independent businesses.
ShopHop was founded here and built by operators who understand the realities of independent work — because we've lived them.
Headquartered in downtown Chicago. Hiring across the United States.
Founder & CEO
Malcolm Brown.
Founder of The Tattoo Lounge · 15+ years building businesses
Malcolm built ShopHop from firsthand industry experience — fifteen-plus years operating in the chair-rental economy, signing the leases, paying the rent, watching the empty hours.
An entrepreneur, operator, and speaker, he holds a Harvard Business Online certificate and has spent his career studying — and rebuilding — the economics of independent work.
ShopHop is the platform he wished existed twenty years ago. Now it's the one he's building for everyone who comes next.
Leadership team
A team of operators, designers, and engineers.
Advisory roles and Head of Partnerships announcements coming in 2026.
The portfolio
One company. Four products. One operating system.
Each product solves a real friction inside the independent service economy. Together, they're the rails the next generation of pros will build careers on.
ShopHop
The on-demand booking platform connecting independent stylists, barbers, tattoo artists, and beauty pros with salons, suites, and studios.
Hopper AI
The AI co-pilot that helps pros find their best-fit space, optimize bookings, and grow their book of business.
ShopHop Connect
Embedded payments, payouts, and financial tools so pros and hosts get paid faster — and on their terms.
ShopHop Franchise
A turnkey playbook empowering shop owners to scale multi-location chair-rental businesses on rails we built.
Investor relations
ShopHop at a glance.
We work with capital partners who believe independent professionals deserve world-class infrastructure — and who want to back the team building it.
Request investor informationTake-rate revenue on every booking, scaled across categories.
Recurring SaaS tiers for pros, hosts, and enterprise accounts.
Multi-location chains, franchise systems, and brand partners.
AI-native platform, embedded payments, vertical-specific tooling.
Join the team
We're building the future of independent work.
The vision
Empower independent professionals with the infrastructure they need to build thriving businesses — on their own terms.
Founded in Chicago. Built by operators. Designed for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Press, partnerships, or investment? Let's talk.
We collaborate with shops, brands, and capital partners who believe independent professionals deserve better infrastructure.