WENATCHEE — Wenatchee WorkSpace, a new coworking site in the city’s north commercial district, shows off its interior and offerings today in a 4 p,m. open house.

The coworking site, established at 1737 N. Wenatchee Ave. Suite B by developer J. Michael Walker, characterizes itself as “an ideal workspace for freelancers, start-up businesses and entrepreneurs looking for a formalized alternative to working from home.” It offers video conferencing booths, workdesks, conference rooms and small meeting rooms.

Users can join by subscription and manage their booking of the space through a convenient app. The open house runs today from 4 to 6 p.m. Get more information at wenatcheeworkspace.com, or through the operation’s Facebook page.

Have you heard of The Wing? It’s a quickly expanding women-only coworking space and social club with locations in New York City, Washington DC, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, soon to be setting up shop in London, Paris, and Toronto.

And The Wing is just one example of women-only coworking spaces popping up across the U.S. and around the world. These spaces encourage women’s career advancement, leadership, collaboration, and community.

Read on to find out why women-only coworking spaces are on the rise and explore whether one of these workspaces may be a good option for you.

If you’re familiar with coworking at all, you’ll have heard of WeWork. It is worth an estimated $35 billion, and has 268,000 members working out of 212 offices globally. Its explosive growth over the last eight years highlights that coworking spaces aren’t just for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and creatives, but also for nonprofit organizations and full-time staff.

“The workplace is changing and quickly embracing more flexible and remote working models,” says Sej Pandya, events director at the newly-established women-only coworking hub Luminary in New York City. “We’re seeing the rise of these spaces for many reasons: real estate costs and availability, lack of space in existing offices, and employees looking for more flexibility but also more options and amenities. Companies and organizations want to increase loyalty and employee fulfillment, so they are figuring out ways to accomplish that.”

It makes sense that since the way we work is changing, we need spaces where we can get our work done. As Pandya sees it, women-only spaces are a push for social progress.

“It’s not just about co-working,” states Pandya. “It’s about community. Historically, we’ve seen men’s clubs and coworking spaces filled with more men than women. It’s evident that we have a lot of work to do to reach gender parity in the workplace and … women are seeking strong communities [where they can] have complex and nuanced conversations … as well as career opportunities. Spaces for women are paramount to creating safe environments.”

For all the promise women-only coworking spaces have, it isn’t without controversy: some detractors say that women-only coworking spaces are discriminatory.

“It’s problematic when you shut men out of the collaborative process,” says Pandya. “At Luminary, membership is women-focused, but we welcome men into the space for specific programming and events, as well as [for] meetings with our members. We developed the space so that we could include men. They are on this journey with us and are a big part of the workforce and our careers. We have to work together.”

Men may not be able to gain total access or membership to women-only coworking spaces, but there does seem to be some leeway when it comes to stand-alone events meant to educate and empower individuals. It’s also important to note that these women-only spaces aim to include other marginalized groups, like gender non-binary members.

“The coworking space is for women at any level in [their] career to collaborate and network with one another,” notes Pandya. “That can [include] an entry-level woman or a senior C-suite [executive]. If you’re looking to build a community, these are the types of places to help do that.”

For all the amazing amenities and opportunities a coworking space offers, joining a women-only coworking space is an investment, albeit a worthwhile one if you take full advantage of what’s available.

As Pandya sees it, there are three factors to consider when deciding to join a coworking space:

1. Define your goals and what you would like to get out of the coworking arrangement.

2. Understand the benefits and the opportunities available to you at the space.

3. Make sure it makes sense for you financially.

• At The Wing, there’s an application process and if you’re accepted, the membership fee—paid annually—costs either $2,350 or $2,700, depending on whether you want access to a single location or to all locations.
• There’s no application process to become a member of The Coven, Seattle- and Los Angeles-based The Riveter, or Luminary.
• The Coven offers either a monthly membership at $200 or an annual one at $2,200.
• A monthly membership at The Riveter starts at $375 for a floating desk at their Seattle location or $450 at one of their Los Angeles locations.
• Luminary offers monthly individual memberships from $200 to $400 and annual memberships from $2,100 to $4,300. It also has a 20% discount for nonprofit employees and New York City teachers.
• The Coven, The Riveter, and Luminary also have additional options like day passes, and part-time and other flexible arrangements.

Ultimately, Pandya states, “Investing in a space like this is a personal decision—it needs to make sense [for] you.”

There are other women-only coworking spaces that may be of interest to you. If you’re seriously considering becoming a member of one, focus on what your goals and needs are and which space is the best, most affordable option that will support you.

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What is the single most important factor that would convince you to join a coworking space?

The coworking company Spaces has leased 50,000 square feet from one of Plano’s latest mixed-use development projects.

Amy Castellanos, the Texas vice president of acquisitions and development for Regent Properties, confirmed Jan. 11 Spaces had entered into a leasing agreement at Legacy Central in Plano.

Legacy Central is an ongoing mixed-use development project near the intersection of US 75 and Legacy Drive, and was the former campus of Texas Instruments.

Spaces will lease out of the same building as exercise equipment manufacturer Peloton.

Samsung is also leasing approximately 215,000 square feet of office space at Legacy Central. Samsung is expected to begin adding employees to its two-story office space in February.

Spaces did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

January
22, 2019

2 min read

The We Company, the parent of coworking space behemoth WeWork, today has launched a retail store as well as an on-demand coworking space that is open to everyone.

The launch of Made by We, at 902 Broadway in New York City, follows the company’s members-only WeMRKT, which can be found in multiple WeWork locations and sells products ranging from food and beverage, apparel, travel and office goods, created by WeWork members. Made by We will also stock member-made items, as well as offer 96 coworking seats and six conference rooms on demand.

Image credit: Dave Burk

Related: WeWork Opens a Retail Operation, Highlighting Products Made by Its Members

“At The We Company, our vision has always been centered around creating human connections in physical spaces — from workspace to living, wellness, and more,” A We Company spokesperson told Entrepreneur. “Made by We encompasses all of these things, creating a public center for people to come together to work on the things they love, all the while enjoying products made by creators within the WeWork community.”

Image credit: Dave Burk

Since its founding in 2010, the company formerly known as WeWork has aggressively expanded across the globe, with 425 membership-based coworking locations across 100 cities in 26 countries. It counts more than 400,000 members. The We Company also introduced WeLive, its dorm-style apartments, fitness club Rise by We and WeGrow, a school for kids.

Related: 12 Crazy Things You Should Know About WeWork, the Coworking Company Valued at $20 Billion

Made by We seems like it could be good introduction to people unfamiliar with the company or don’t want to commit to a membership. The company spokesperson said it views the initiative as a “new town square,” adding it is not sharing its potential expansion plans for the concept at this time.

Co-working company WeWork will test a suite of enhanced services for early-stage startups at its Uptown location in Minneapolis, the first such “lab” for the company in the Midwest.

WeWork Labs provides startup-focused curriculum, mentorship and other services to guide entrepreneurs through the early stages of building a business, the company said.

Last year, WeWork Labs launched in larger cities such as New York and Washington, D.C., as well as cities outside the U.S.

“This city has quickly become a growing hub for innovation, welcoming early-stage startups working on impactful ideas and large corporations seeking to collaborate and innovate,” said Bailey Dodds, expansion director for North America for WeWork Labs, in a statement. “By leveraging our global platform, we have the unique opportunity to connect Minneapolis entrepreneurs with the resources and opportunities they need to succeed, while also facilitating interactions between startups and larger corporates.”

WeWork Labs offers several added features to the typical WeWork membership such as investor introductions, pitch nights and weekly events and workshops exclusive for WeWork Labs participants.

Membership starts in March and is priced at $425 a month.

A similar type of dedicated desk in Minneapolis at WeWork costs about $370 a month without the special staff and other services.

In December, WeWork opened its second Minneapolis location in the new MoZaic East building in Uptown.

Co-working continues to grow within the Twin Cities with multiple offices opening within recent years.