An innovative take on the co-working space is coming to Houston. Switchyards will open its first location in the Bayou City on Monday, September 29.
Located in the former Buffalo Exchange at 2901 S Shepherd Drive, Switchyards is well located on the border of Montrose, River Oaks, and Upper Kirby. Founded in Atlanta, the Houston location will join 30 outposts in cities such as Austin, Denver, Kansas City, and Nashville. A Dallas location will open at the end of August.
Unlike WeWork, which caters to companies looking for office space for groups of employees, Switchyards pitches itself as a club for individuals who want to get a little work done away from their home offices.
“Working from home all the time is pretty lonesome,” Switchyards creative director Brandon Hinman tells CultureMap. “It feels good to have places to get out and mix it up. To change paces and change scenery.”
Switchyards facilitates that change of scenery with an environment that blends touches of hotel lobbies, college libraries, and coffee shops. As seen in the photos of the company’s other location, the furniture is a mix of desks, comfy chairs, and couches for individuals or small groups. It’s a far cry from the cube farms of the Office Space era.
“They tend to be historic, textured, layered,” Hinman says about the company’s locations. “A lot of really good furniture. Really thoughtful for getting a couple hours of work done.”
Each location features fast wi-fi, plenty of electrical outlets, and good quality coffee and tea. All 250 members have 24/7 access to the space — in case a sudden burst of inspiration strikes at 2 am. By choosing the real estate they lease carefully, Switchyards keeps its membership price to $100 per month.
“Packaging it together like that and opening in these neighborhoods where people actually live has been pretty magical,” Hinman says. The big opportunity, I think, is that 90 percent of our members have never had a shared space before. It is unlocking a new thing for people.”
People who are interested in learning more can sign up at switchyards.com/houston-tx. That offers early access to memberships and an invite to a sneak peek party before memberships go on sale on Thursday, September 25 at 11 am. Switchyards notes that the last 14 clubs have sold out on day one, so those who are interested should act fast.
Hinman hasn’t spent a lot of time in Houston, but he made important connections at a recent conference in Dallas when he met Axelrad owners Jeff Kaplan and Adam Brackman, Johnny’s Gold Brick owner Benjy Mason, and former Urban Harvest market manager Tyler Horne. They gave him a list of places to check out while he’s in town.
“I’m a big dive bar and art museums guy. I have a sense that Houston is going to knock those things out,” he says.