Why does Pat Riley get so much love in this shop?
Exterior
As the season opens, Luke works his day job at Pop’s Barber Shop, where he sweeps floors and cleans windows. Pop’s becomes a central location for Luke and the characters of the show, acting as Switzerland for the denizens of the neighborhood.
A below-ground location at the corner of Malcolm X Boulevard and W 119th Street was found for all the exterior shots. This was a specific request by showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker, who was looking to create a location that really fit into the style of Harlem he was trying to express.
Part of the big fight in episode 13 was filmed at this exterior location. Diamondback emerges from the door labeled 181, just after punching Luke out an upstairs window. While the show makes it appear that the fight between Luke and Willis takes place on W 199th Street, the real fight was filmed elsewhere, in Bed-Stuy.
MAP
Interior
While amazingly convincing, the interior of Pop’s Shop was built on a soundstage. An article from Roscoe SoftDrops reveals that this location specifically utilized their scenic backdrops. The big fight in episode 13 starts inside the shop, works its way upstairs to the apartment overhead, where Luke is punched out a window onto the street outside.
Alley
The alley portions of the shop were seen in episodes 1 and 6, and filmed in the real alley behind 181 Malcolm X Boulevard, on the W 119th side of the building.
Street
When leaving the shop, Luke passes a DVD vendor selling bootleg copies of “The Incident,” featuring “Tony Stark, the big blonde dude with the hammer” and “the old dude with the shield.” This intersection is also seen during Luke’s punishing of Stokes in episode 5 (where he sees Sugar after being shot by Aisha).
(Luke Cage S01E01-E03, E05-E08 & E12-E13, 2016)