Behind the Buildout: Workbar Harvard Square, Vol. 1

People always ask me how we choose our partners. The truth is, it rarely starts with a spreadsheet. It usually starts with a story.

In this case, it started with a sister.

A real estate developer we had been loosely connected with for a while was considering adding coworking to one of their buildings. When the idea came up internally, he did what a lot of people do when they’re trying to understand flexible workspace.

He asked someone he trusted.

His sister had recently started working from Workbar Back Bay.

She’s a professional in her 40s with a well-established career, exactly the type of person many assume already has a perfectly good office setup. But after joining Workbar, she told him “It changed my life.”

Not in a dramatic startup-founder kind of way.
In the practical way that actually matters.

She had a place where she could focus.
She had people around her again.
She had a rhythm to her workday that didn’t revolve around commuting or sitting alone at home.

That developer did not end up putting coworking in his building but he was so taken with our model that he connected Trinity Property Management with us.

We toured.
We talked about the model.
We talked about how our spaces are designed around how people actually work, places for focus, places for calls, places for collaboration.

Then we did what every real estate deal requires.

We negotiated. A lot.

But before they signed anything, something else happened that made me laugh, and reminded me just how small the coworking world really is.

John, the President of Trinity Property Management, called his sister. She runs an independent coworking operation in California, and when he told her he was thinking about partnering with Workbar as the operator in his building, she immediately said:

"Wait… Sarah Travers?"

John was stunned that she knew me.

Coworking is a small world.

We tend to know each other, learn from each other, and watch how different models evolve in different markets. It’s one of the things I love most about this industry.

After that conversation, John and Phil decided to experience Workbar the same way our members do.

And if you're thinking, "wait, this sounds familiar..." you're right. 
This was our 'secret shop' story. 

They asked about 10 of their employees to either tour or grab a day pass at one of our locations and see what it was all about. Keep in mind, these are people who had been working in a traditional office together for nearly 30 years.

This wasn’t a group looking for disruption. If anything, they were probably the last people you’d expect to fall in love with coworking.

But when everyone came back, the feedback was almost identical. “Can we move our office here too?” The deal was as good as done.

Coworking doesn’t really make sense until you experience it. You can describe a flexible workspace. You can show floor plans. You can explain the economics.

But the real magic happens when people sit down, open their laptop, and realize something simple: Work feels better when you’re around other people.

Now, a year later, we’re opening in one of the most recognizable and innovative neighborhoods in the world. Go there and you’ll see, it’s the kind of place where students, founders, researchers, and professionals all move through the same few blocks every day.

Exactly the kind of ecosystem where Workbar members work best.

And if the early reactions from John and Phil’s team are any indication…

There may be a few more offices moving in than we originally planned.

If you’re as excited as we are about Workbar Harvard Square and want to be one of the founding members, reach out. We saved you a seat.