Coworking spaces in Raleigh, Durham NC: Locations, costs

A masseuse treats a client next to a podcast studio in Chapel Hill. Over In Cary, a psychic tells futures while working moms nurse in a private room down the hall. And in Raleigh, lawyers brew morning coffees alongside freelancers.

Each weekday, the professional diversity of the Triangle comes together through coworking.

The area has minority-focused coworking spaces, a women-focused space, national chains and homegrown networks. Some communities cater to startups and others to remote workers wishing to shake the tedium (or the chaos) of their work-from-home routines.

One local coworking space is completely free. Another offers small businesses with tangible goods something called cowarehousing.

The News & Observer visited nine area coworking communities to see what sets each apart.

There were plenty of common amenities across the spaces: beer on tap, murals on the walls, private interview booths, podcast studios, and weekly events for members to mingle.

But a slide? Only one had that.

Note, this guide isn’t comprehensive. There are dozens of local coworking communities — from Hillsborough to Knightdale — with several launching in the past few years. Not every space could be visited. But we did our best to capture the wide range of local options.

If you’ve curious about Triangle coworking for your business or yourself, this is a good place to start.

American Underground

In the Triangle since: 2010

How many local locations: 1 (201 W. Main St., Durham)

Prices: Limited coworking for $149 per month. All-access coworking for $199. Private offices start at $399.

Hours: 24/7 access

What sets American Underground apart?

A veteran in the nascent modern coworking industry, American Underground is today a fixture of downtown Durham. It has seven floors (four in one building, three in another next door) and serves startup and remote workers with a mission toward innovation.

“We think of ourselves sort of as the center of gravity for startup activity in Durham,” said Tim Scales, executive director of American Underground. “Anything happening along those lines tends to fall here.”

Given its size, American Underground offers startups flexible office options across its two buildings. There are elevators, of course, but also a slide to the lowest floor.

At least once a week, American Underground hosts events to bring members and the broader business community together. Thursday afternoon social mixers are standard. To Scales, the potential to form connections is why members keep coming back.

“Durham is part of our culture,” he added. “We can connect with the local restaurants and businesses and help our members find them, too.”

Blush

In the Triangle since: 2022

How many local locations: 1 (201 Shannon Oaks Circle, Suite 102, Cary)

Prices: Monthly membership for $250 per month. Dedicated desk for $425. Private offices start at $800. Day passes for $30 a day. Onsite childcare starts at $10 an hour (and provided by Hopscotch Labs).

Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday

What sets Blush apart?

A female-focused coworking space in Cary, and the only one in the area to offer on-site childcare. For working parents, the childcare has been a major attraction since Blush opened last spring.

“I think there should be more of these in the world,” said Danielle Leach, a Blush member who brings her 9-month-old daughter to the coworking community.

Alison Rogers, who cofounded Blush, said most of the childcare slots are filled by Blush members.

“It’s becoming more of a member benefit,” she said. “We still do have spots, especially on Fridays, for people to add (the childcare) on to a day pass to try it out.”

The open work areas at Blush have a variety of seats and table styles, with white walls interrupted by pops of pink murals and accents. Private offices set against the walls are named after famous women like Britney Spears, Maya Angelou, and former North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue.

There’s also a library stocked exclusively with women authors, and a private room where parents can nurse their infants.

Being situated in Cary, Rogers said, makes it ideal for professionals living between Raleigh and Durham.

Frontier RTP

In the Triangle since: 2015

How many local locations: 1 (800 Park Offices Drive, RTP)

Price: Free

Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

What sets Frontier RTP apart?:

It’s free. The area’s only public coworking space offers the basic amenities — open desks, meeting rooms and individual work pods — in the center of the Research Triangle.

“What sets Frontier RTP apart from all the startup incubators is accessibility, which really drives the community,” said Ana Velez, a marketing manager for Research Triangle Park. “By lowering the barrier to entry through affordable flex space and free community programming, multi-gen entrepreneurs of any stage in any industry can thrive, connect and grow here.”

Proximity to the shops of Boxyard RTP is another attraction, Velez said. Construction is also underway to make the entire complex, called Hub RTP, into the first “downtown” in the park’s history.

Rich Paules, an account executive who works remotely, said he comes to Frontier RTP when he wants “a change of pace.”

“There are less distractions,” he said. “Fewer kids, chores, tasks starring you in the face.”

Industrious

In the Triangle since: 2015

How many local locations: 2 (Raleigh and Chapel Hill)

Price: Memberships start at $299 a month. Offices start at $665.

Hours: 24/7 access

What sets Industrious apart?

Walking into the Industrious coworking space in downtown Raleigh is like walking into a trendy hotel lobby. Staff greet you behind the front desk. Light music plays in the background. Everything is polished and professional.

Industrious is an international chain found in more than 65 cities. It aims to be the “premium” coworking option says David Poland, the company’s general manager in the Carolinas and Tennessee.

“I think it’s something that’s almost immediately noticeable that we put a lot into the design and construction and quality of the IT equipment that’s provided, the conference rooms, and even our tech,” Poland said.

The higher-end amenities attract a more corporate membership set, including law firms and wealth management satellite offices.

Located in a downtown tower, Industrious offers breakfast each morning and afternoon snacks. “One of the strongest ways to get people together and start talking is food and beverage,” Poland said.

A basic membership allows members to use their primary location. With an additional charge, they can access any Industrious site in the world.

Innovate Carolina Junction (previously Launch)

In the Triangle since: 2013

How many local locations: 1 (137 E. Franklin St., Suite 611, Chapel Hill)

Price: Part-time membership for $200 a month. Full-time for $350. Private offices start at $900.

Hours: 24/7 access

What sets the Launch Junction apart?

Across Franklin Street from the University of North Carolina, the working space Innovate Carolina Junction leans into its connections to Chapel Hill — both the school and the town. The space is publicly funded and strives to be the centerpiece of an innovation district in Chapel Hill.

“The whole building is part of a grander vision of the town to build this hub of innovation,” said Alex Joyner, the services manager at Launch, a startup accelerator which is housed at the coworking space.

Innovate Carolina, which is currently constructing a second floor, aims to attract both early-stage startups and established companies that want to offer their employees in Orange County an office community.

Members don’t need to have UNC connection, though UNC-affiliated members get discounts. Between UNC professors and the Launch accelerator, startups have ready resources to help grow their ideas.

“The feedback we get (from members) is they really appreciate this isn’t just a place to sit down and work in your own little quiet space,” Joyner said. “There is a collaboration effort.”

Raleigh Founded

In the Triangle since: 2012

How many local locations: 4 in Raleigh, and soon to be a fifth in Cary.

Price: Day passes for $25. Virtual access for $100 a month. Full access for $250 a month.

Hours: 24/7 access

What sets Raleigh Founded apart?

It’s no coincidence that Raleigh has grown its status as a startup hub in the decade since Raleigh Founded opened its doors.

Launched by four local entrepreneurs, the space (first named HUB Raleigh and later HQ Raleigh) at first only admitted members through an application and interview process. The reason, explained Raleigh executive director Lauren Romer was to “curate more of a startup ecosystem than a coworking space.”,

But Raleigh Founded has since ditched its applications, allowing in a more diverse set of professionals.

“We’ve been able to keep the culture but we have added more people in different industry areas,” Romer said. “And now, there’s a lot more remote workers.”

An entrepreneurial ethos is still present across the four Raleigh Founded locations. Regional business leaders stop by for events, and founders are rarely far from another startup leader dealing with the same challenges.

Pendo, the well-known software provider, started at the Raleigh coworking hub. And the fast-growing communications startup Levitate, which was started by Raleigh Founded cofounder Jesse Lipson, is currently headquartered at the coworking space.

The Loading Dock

In the Triangle since: 2016

How many local locations: 3 (two in Raleigh, one in Wake Forest)

Price: Standard membership for $150 a month. Unlimited for $250 a month. Dedicated desk for $350 a month. Small warehouse units start at 100ft ($500 per month with a minimum 3-month agreement.)

Hours: 24/7 access

What sets The Loading Dock apart?

One half of The Loading Dock, a homegrown Triangle coworking network, will look like a typical modern communal work space. Members are greeted with a wide layout of desks, offices and interview booths with pun-inspired quotes like “I came, I called, I conquered…”

But the other part of The Loading Dock is unique.

Two of its three locations offer members industrial storage space for their small businesses. Chain-link fences separate each unit in the warehouse, and the lack of firm walls allows entrepreneurs to be nimbler with its spacing needs.

“There’s an ability to be flexible with it,” said Tim Kennard, community experience manager at The Loading Dock. “You’re not locked into a long-term agreement. There are no utilities, so you don’t have to think about building care.”

The minimum lease in the warehouse is three months, Kennard says.

Members have access to equipment and an actual loading dock from which to ship their goods to customers.

The Wright Village

In the Triangle since: 2020

How many local locations: 1 (420 Hubert St., Office 2, Raleigh)

Price: Community access for $52 a month. Office space for $225.

Hours: 9 a.m to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday

What sets this space apart?:

Mel Wright, founder of The Wright Village, has created a space dedicated to helping historically marginalized entrepreneurs grow their businesses. As a Black, female veteran, Wright says there’s a need to help others like her access capital.

“We are the only coworking space that provides resources directly to the underserved,” she said. “There are times when I’ve sat in on meetings, and I learned about resources that half my members would not know about because they weren’t invited to that meeting.”

The Wright Village has an open-desk common area with private rooms along the side. Wright plans to soon move soon to a new location in Raleigh with double the capacity.

Members can access monthly networking events and office hours with established small business entrepreneurs. To Wright, the Village is as much a business incubator as it is a coworking hub.

“Black women have always been business savvy and starting new businesses,” she said. “But with any business, if you don’t grow or don’t have that support, it can fail.”

WeWork

In the Triangle since: 2018

How many local locations: 2 (in Raleigh and Durham)

Price: Basic access membership is currently $149 per month. Plus access membership is currently $299 per month. Private offices start on average at $450.

Hours: 24/7 access

What sets WeWork apart?

Even other coworking operators acknowledge that WeWork, more than any other company, spearheaded the modern coworking space experience.

The company occupies two floors in downtown Durham and three floors at its downtown Raleigh tower. From the Raleigh office, the city skyline can readily be viewed through expansive windows. Its offices offer all the amenities now prevalent across the industry. Brightly lit spaces. Kombucha, coffee, and seltzer water in a mini kitchen area. Booths, desks, offices under vibrant wall paintings.

WeWork arrived to the Triangle in 2018. And though the company hasn’t always made headlines for the right reasons, it remains an attractive option for remote workers and companies seeking more flexible, short-term leases.

“It’s the size and scale,” said Bennett Younts, WeWork’s director of leasing in North Carolina. “From what my experience has been locally, there’s a cap in a lot of competitors’ size. (At) WeWork, you’re going to be able to come in with a team of 70 to 100 or north of 200 and get a whole floor dedicated or single offices built to a team of that size.”

More coworking spaces in the NC Triangle

• 79 West Innovation Hub, Pittsboro
• C3 Coworking, Hillsborough
• Carolina Coworking, Chapel Hill
• Hatch64, Knightdale
• Locale 321, Durham
• Nest Raleigh, Raleigh
• Perch Coworking, Carrboro, Pittsboro
• Provident1898, Durham
• ReCity, Durham
• Spaces, Chapel Hill, Cary, Durham, Raleigh

This story was produced with financial support from a coalition of partners led by Innovate Raleigh as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work.

This story was originally published June 20, 2023, 5:30 AM.