The co-working trend — being driven by big companies, startups, and solo entrepreneurs — is propelling the growth of shared workspaces in Dallas-Fort Worth, with at least three new locations popping up this spring.
Co-working enables remote employees, self-employed entrepreneurs, and others to share office space and amenities. Companies both large and small occupy desks or offices at co-working spaces, which typically feature community perks like Wi-Fi, office equipment, mail service, and kitchen facilities.
Around Dallas-Fort Worth, they allow workers who live in one city to set up shop easily in another, without the hassle of trying to find a coffee shop with wifi along their commute.
Small Biz Labs forecasts 683,000 people will be working at U.S. co-working spaces this year. In 2022, that number is expected to exceed 1 million.
While co-working spaces recently have received attention as a “hot workplace trend,” just 1 percent of freelance and remote workers surveyed last year by FlexJobs cited these spaces as the preferred place for getting important work done. For maximum productivity, 52 percent favored their home offices.
Here’s an overview of the three new entrants in the co-working business in DFW.
Venture X Galleria — Village on the Green
5301 Alpha Rd.
Dallas
On April 5, Venture X hosted a grand opening for its first DFW location. A monthly membership starts at $40. “Office sharing is not a new concept, but Venture X has definitely raised the bar for co-working spaces,” says Nadim Ahmed, the Dallas franchisee for Venture X. Venture X says its locations blend the styles of a boutique hotel and a modern office.
DFW Global CoWork
11325 Pegasus St.
Dallas
DFW Global CoWork recently opened at the Jupiter Gardens Event Center. Monthly memberships start at $50. The business promotes itself as the Dallas area’s only “multicultural” and “diverse” co-working environment for entrepreneurs, startups, and freelancers. “We are not just an office,” DFW Global CoWork says. “We are a supportive community offering networking, business education, and resources to empower you and your business.”
WeWork Clearfork
5049 Edwards Ranch
Fort Worth
WeWork, the New York City-based co-working giant, recently opened a co-working space at the ever-expanding Shops at Clearfork mixed-use development in Fort Worth. A membership at the Clearfork location starts at $250 a month. WeWork also operates two co-working spaces in Dallas and two in Plano. “WeWork understands that pretty much everyone who uses their office space could work from home. But they also understand the value of coming together,” writer Jory MacKay observes in an article about WeWork. “With teams and companies now distributed across continents, and projects expected to be completed faster than ever before, the need to come together is essential.”
Venture X has just opened near Galleria Dallas.
