Listening room and wine bar Commune ATL, owned by Zopari Kristjanson and music producer and DJ Chris Devoe, will open in late April at Olive and Pine in Avondale Estates.
In addition to music, Commune will feature a small food menu and a wine list curated by Atlanta sommelier and former Empire State South wine director, Steven Grubbs.
Kristjanson, who grew up in Dunwoody, says she’s been interested in art and music since she was a teen. She started seeing bands play live in the mid-1990s. Later, she joined punk band Vera Fang and collaborated on music projects with groups like Tiger Moon and Waraq. That’s when she met Devoe, now a longtime friend and musical collaborator.
But nine years ago, Kristjanson said she needed a break from performing and doing events. She and partner Stefan Springman, an executive producer on the reality show “Love & Hip Hop“, decided to head to New York. Kristjanson switched career gears. Living an hour outside of New York City, she started working in horticulture and landscape design. After their son was born during the pandemic, Kristjanson and Springman returned to Atlanta. The move back allowed them to raise their son in the city Kristjanson loved, while also reconnecting with friends, family, and the Atlanta music scene, which included Devoe.
“We were hanging out and I told him I wanted to do something here in Atlanta,” Kristjanson says of the impetus behind Commune. “I wanted to open a club, but as a mom, something that made sense for my life. Chris mentioned a listening room or HiFi bar, like in Miami and Austin or Eavesdrop in Brooklyn.”
Kristjanson and Devoe met Olive and Pine developer Steven Chan through a mutual friend. Chan, who is also the owner of Tim Drum Asian Kitchen, had been considering adding a gallery or music space to Olive and Pine. The Avondale Estates complex already includes Leftie Lee’s sandwich shop and Wonderful World Coffee, with forthcoming cocktail bar…
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