An Atlanta co-working club is set to open its first Triangle location
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Switchyards will takeover 5,000 square feet at 733 Foster St. in Durham. Photo: Zachery Eanes/Axios
Switchyards, a 24/7 co-working club born in Atlanta, will soon open the first of what is expected to be several locations in the Triangle.
Why it matters: Founded in 2019, Switchyards aims to give remote workers an option that straddles the gap between a coffee shop and pricier co-working options catering to startups.
Driving the news: In August, Switchyards will open its first Triangle location in Durham at 733 Foster St., on the edge of downtown and the Old North Durham neighborhood.
- Durham will be the company's 12th city. It operates more than 20 "clubs" in cities like Atlanta, Charlotte, Asheville, Denver and Nashville.
The big picture: The resilience of the hybrid work model after the pandemic, Axios reported, has ushered in a renaissance for co-working spaces. They're attractive to workers who don't want to return to the office post-pandemic but don't want to work in isolation, either.
- That's been a boon to Switchyards, which is hoping to add dozens of locations in the next few years.
Zoom in: Switchyards seeks to expand in interesting and walkable neighborhoods across the country, mostly in nontraditional spaces like former motorcycle garages and a church. (Its Durham space is in a 1940s-era building that was once a dry cleaners before being used by the tech firm Spreedly until 2019.)
- Brandon Hinman, creative director for Switchyards, told Axios its designs are inspired by the spaces remote workers already gravitate toward, like coffee shops, libraries and hotel lobbies.
- "We thought, 'What if we take our favorite parts of those three things and put them under one roof and put them in residential neighborhoods close to where people live and not in a central business district."
What to expect: The company's CEO Michael Tavani said he views the company's $100/month membership as similar to joining a gym. "It's set and forget," he said.
- For that price, you get 24/7 access to any of its locations, free coffee, several workspaces, and bookable phone and meeting rooms.
- Clubs are divided into three sections: a main cafe area for solo work and collaboration, a quiet library for concentration and phone booths members can book for meetings/calls.
- Each location is capped at 250 members, and the last 12 openings have sold out, according to the company.
What they're saying: Tavani prefers using the club moniker because he views Switchyards as more of a consumer product than an office replacement.
- It doesn't have private offices and only rents to individuals rather than small companies.
- "You can use Switchyards whenever you want, but ultimately it is not an office replacement for 40 hours a week," he told Axios. "It's an escape from other places. This is an in-between place. It's the third place."
What's next: Membership for the Durham location becomes available on July 31.
- The company is actively searching for spots to open additional locations across the Triangle.
Read more about the Switchyards model
