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Proof You Can’t Fake It—A Landlord’s Secret Shop Story: Making Work Work, CEO Series Vol. 5

Coworking Space at Workbar Worcester

Every deal has its moment of truth.

For me, that moment came recently while negotiating a new Workbar location in one of the most recognizable, and let’s be honest, iconic, areas not just in Boston, but the entire world.

This one is going to be big.

The Owner believes in our model so much that he’s relocating multiple tenants, including his own company, to give us the right footprint for Workbar’s unique layout. That’s not a decision a landlord makes lightly. It means disrupting existing leases, moving long-standing tenants, and betting on something new.

But before he was ready to sign, he wanted proof.

Not proof on paper. Not a fancy deck. Proof in action.

So he sent his employees to secret shop Workbar.

The very next day, he called me, ready to do the deal.

What They Saw Inside Workbar

It’s one thing to tell an Owner why Workbar is the best coworking solution in Boston. It’s another thing for their own employees to walk into one of our spaces and feel the difference.

Across the board, the experience was consistent. Each space was vibrant and active, and every Community Manager welcomed the unannounced guests with professionalism and enthusiasm. The takeaway was the same everywhere: our team is approachable, attentive, and knowledgeable.

Here’s what else they saw:

  • Activity-based neighborhoods designed for productivity—Café for energy, Commons for collaboration, Study for focus, Switchboard for calls.
  • Meeting rooms that actually work. Tech-enabled, bookable, and plentiful.
  • Modern workspace essentials. Phone booths, mother’s rooms, podcast studios.
  • Location strategy. Spaces within 20 minutes of where people live, work, and play around Greater Boston.

The employees had seen coworking before. WeWork, Regus, Industrious, those were their reference points. They were all equally surprised when they walked into Workbar and called out  the open-yet-focused layout and the buzz of people working productively across every zone.

That’s why his employees didn’t just leave impressed, they left convinced.

The Real Test: A 30-Year Employee

But here’s where the story takes a turn.

This Owner has one employee who has worked with him for 30 years. She’s been in a traditional private office her entire career (at a real estate company no less!). If you were to draw a spectrum of who coworking was designed for, she’d probably sit at the opposite end.

And she was not happy about relocating.

But when she walked into Workbar, experienced the layout, the energy, the way people worked side-by-side with choice and flexibility, she surprised everyone.

Her words to the Owner?

“You have to put Workbar in. It’s exactly what this area needs. If I left wanting to work there, anyone would.”

When the hardest person to win over ends up advocating on your behalf, you know you’re doing something right.

Why Owners Choose Workbar

Landlords in Boston have options. They can chase the next “trendy” coworking brand, carve up space into private offices, or wait out the market. But the best Owners don’t just look at spreadsheets, they look at outcomes.

Here’s why Workbar keeps winning deals in Boston and beyond:

  • Flexible Workspace That Fits the Market. We’re not a corporate HQ replacement. We’re the hybrid solution teams actually use.
  • Coworking for Boston, by Boston. Founded here in 2009, we know how this city works and how to design for its people.
  • A Proven Model. From South Station to Cambridge to Worcester, Workbar consistently delivers occupancy, retention, and vibrancy.
  • Community + Experience = Value. A Workbar doesn’t just fill square footage, it increases the value of the building by attracting and retaining tenants who want to be part of something alive.

Making Work Work in Iconic Boston

Relocating offices is never easy, especially for someone who’s been in the same private space for decades. But what this Owner’s employees discovered firsthand is the future of Boston office space:

It’s flexible.
It’s collaborative.
It’s designed for how people actually work today.

That’s why this new Workbar location is happening. Not because of spreadsheets or pro formas. But because people walked in, felt the difference, and said: This is it.

Final Word

At Workbar, making work work isn’t about signing the biggest lease or opening in the flashiest location. It’s about creating environments where people don’t just tolerate coming to the office, they want to.

And if a 30-year private real estate veteran can walk into a coworking space and say, “I want to work here,” that tells me we’re on the right track.

Boston doesn’t just need more office space.
It needs spaces that work.
That’s Workbar.
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