Switchyards opening ‘work club’ in historic East Crossroads space: ‘It’s an absolute stunner’

Think dive bar with deep focus, said Brandon Hinman, describing the “neighborhood work club” concept that Atlanta-based Switchyards is bringing to the East Crossroads this spring. It’s a third-space workplace with no hot desks, standalone offices, or tiered memberships.

“We actually have been more inspired by working out of coffee shops, libraries, boutique hotel lobbies,” Hinman, creative director for Switchyards, told Startland News. “We said, ‘What if we could take our favorite parts of those spaces and bring them together in one warehouse and open it in neighborhoods where people actually live and want to spend time?'”

The Kansas City Switchyards location is set to debut at 1712 Holmes St. — the company’s first work club in the Midwest — opening to members April 14.

“It’s an absolute stunner,” Hinman said of the Holmes Street building: a 6,000-square-foot, 99-year-old former brass foundry that most recently served as headquarters for Rosin Preservation. It sits not far from City Barrel Brewing Co., HITIDES Coffee, Parlor KC and other Crossroads hot spots.

“On the outside you’ll see this nondescript building, but inside is this beautiful barrel ceiling, bowstring trusses, brick, polished concrete — amazing work by the previous tenant who did a great job of turning it into a space to work while also keeping the history,” Hinman noted.

A look inside Switchyards’ Eastwood work club in Nashville; photo by Switchyards

Used as a machinist shop for decades, the 24/7 Switchyards location will have a notably quieter feel, he said, emphasizing the brand’s thoughtful design that centers around the productivity prized by remote and hybrid workers.

“We’ll combine a bustling cafe area with some heads-down, no-calls, no-meetings, no-talking library space, as well as bookable meeting rooms, phone booths, and nonstop locally roasted coffee and tea — all included in the membership,” Hinman said.

Memberships are expected to go live to the public at 10 a.m. April 10 ahead of the space’s opening. Only 250 memberships will be available, with the past five clubs selling out on drop day, Switchyards said.

Click here for early access to $100/month memberships, sneak peek invites, and more. 

Membership grants access to all current and future clubs; including Atlanta, Denver, Nashville, Charlotte and Asheville, North Carolina, and Greenville, South Carolina.

“We’re excited to bring Switchyards to Kansas City,” said Michael Tavani, CEO and founder of Switchyards. “There’s a growing need for that ‘third place for work’ in this city and beyond — a space that’s not your home or office, but somewhere to mix it up. With its unique soul and civic spirit, Crossroads was the obvious choice for where we wanted to plant our flag in KC. This will be the first of many.”

Click here to learn more about Switchyards, which was founded in 2019 in Atlanta.

The company announced an ambitious plan in mid-2024 to open 200 clubs in the next five years, fueled by a $5 million investment, led by San Francisco-based Bullpen Capital.

Switchyards’ future Kansas City work club at 1712 Homes St. in the East Crossroads; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

Switchyards is a category creator, Hinman said, because the company focuses on the individual member experience, rather than repackaging office space as a low-risk, high-amenity product.

“The majority of our members have actually never done coworking, so we’re unlocking a big swath of new customers who have never really paid to get out of the house and get some work done,” he said.

The East Crossroads location is Switchyards’ 23rd club, having just announced the space in Denver (No. 22) last week. Hinman considers the two locations akin to twin clubs because they each reclaim buildings from a similar era.

“They’re everything you’d want out of a historic building turned into a vibey warehouse space to pop into,” he said. “We make all of our spaces cozy and we’re obsessive when it comes to details and design. I like to say, we’re also junk collectors, so you’re going to see a lot of fun elements inside.”

Taking cues from everything from Italian cafes to old library halls creates an aesthetic that’s unique — for now, Hinman said, forecasting the “work club” concept will become ubiquitous across the workplace landscape in the coming years.

“We have an earned look and a layered approach,” he said. “But we’ve woven the fastest wifi and best damn coffee through it.”

Being an industry leader requires Switchyards to look forward — and back, Hinman said, referencing the intersection of the company’s strategy and space designs that integrate each community within the club.

“We’re always trying to look around the corner,” Hinman continued. “We take a lot of inspiration from the space itself — taking a look at the kind of work that was done there before, and respecting the lineage of people who came before.”

“People have been working to make Kansas City a great place for a long time, and we want to showcase that and bring it into the design.”

Take a tour of Switchyards’ Eastwood work club in Nashville and the Belmont club in Charlotte, North Carolina, to see the range of Switchyards spaces built into historic neighborhoods.