DAMC / Development / News
Oct 3, 2018
The Worx! Contemporary, Cool Coworking opens in Urban Union
Early this year, we sat down with Lauren Brewer just as construction was beginning on a long-time dream she shared with her husband Luke. Today, Union Worx Coworking is the newest enterprise to open in Downtown Arlington’s hip, new Urban Union development (read on for details about the Union Worx Grand Opening event).
The Brewers envisioned Union Worx as an energetic, fun workspace for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and anyone who wants to take their start-up out of the spare bedroom. That’s exactly what they delivered. They embraced a modern design aesthetic with pumped-up pops of color, huge windows and a “social” coworking space complete with kitchen.
Outside, their massive patio is a particularly special feature. All in all, Union Worx mixes a contemporary clubhouse feel with down-to-business amenities.
Now that Union Worx is open, Lauren runs the business day-to-day as Luke continues his corporate IT career. We caught up with Lauren recently to learn more about their experience starting up a start-up.
Downtown Arlington: Hooray! Union Worx is open! How is it the same and how is it different than your original vision?
Lauren Brewer: In all honesty, it’s so much better than we ever dreamed. Our space is bright, cheery, industrial, and modern all at the same time. We never thought our very first space would be so polished and inviting, but it really is. We are so pleased with the way it turned out, and we’re excited to keep refining our space and the experience for our members.
DA: Give us a general idea of your amenities, programs and features.
LB: We have the all the normal amenities that come with most coworking spaces: open and private areas, very fast internet, free coffee, and free beer. But what we really hope to offer is a true community. Our goal is to create a space where people in very different industries have a way to work together and make each other better. Let’s say that one of our members is a social media marketing firm and another is a lawyer, and they build a working relationship together to help each other to grow. Our hope is these type bonds and relationships form over and over.
We also want to be a place where the Arlington community comes together, a place where people can host events like Fantasy Football draft night parties, corporate happy hours, workshops, art shows, and class reunions.
DA: Is this the first business that you and your husband Luke have opened together?
LB: Yes, it is our first but hopefully not last. There is no one else I could work with all day and still want to have dinner with at night!
Still, during the planning phase, there were a few times that we had to call in a third person to break a tie. Luckily, we have an amazing group of friends whose opinions we respect and value. They even helped us settle on “Union Worx” as a name when were both in love with about six different names at once!
DA: Talk about your patio.
LB: We LOVE our patio! Day-to-day it’s a great amenity for our members. Since it’s on the east side of the building, it gets warm sunshine in the morning and shade in the afternoon. It’s a great place to take a phone call, power through your inbox, or have an open-air lunch meeting. On the weekends or in the evenings, we'd love to see all types of event hosts make use of our patio, from art and food pop-ups to corporate events or puppy yoga.
DA: What do you love about being in Urban Union and Downtown Arlington?
LB: Without a doubt, Urban Union is the hot spot for locals and we love that! Ryan Dodson and his team at Dodson Development have done an amazing job so far by demonstrating how a first-class development can transform a previously underutilized part of town. By being very intentional in the types of businesses they’re attracting to Urban Union, they’re creating a strong neighborhood vibe in which everyone can flourish.
But by no means is Urban Union the only area that’s thriving in Downtown! There’s night life and activity now where there hasn’t been before or in many years. Year-round, you see people walking together from the breweries to restaurants to the Levitt Pavilion to Arlington Music Hall to the Library. The investment in and growth all around Downtown is so exciting!
DA: When is the Grand Opening for Union Worx?
LB: To get our feet wet, we’ve already co-hosted a few smaller events like UTA's Epic Mavs yearly kick-off and the VIP event for the Downtown Arlington Brewing Arts Festival.
Now we’re ready to invite everyone to our official Grand Opening Party on October 25 from 4:00-8:00 p.m. Remarks will take place at 4:30 p.m. It will be a really fun bash, so you won’t want to miss it.
DA: Would you like to shout out to anyone?
LB: We partnered with an extremely talented, Arlington-centric power couple to create our logo and all of our branding: Matt and Melony Brunson with Hotnoggin Creative. They’ve been amazing to work with! Check out their new website to learn more about them.
DA: Anything else you'd like to add?
LB: We only have a few Founding Member spots still available, which includes being recognized as a founding member of Union Worx, discounted memberships, company logo featured inside our space and website, and many other perks. Come see us anytime and learn more!
Discover Union Worx
500 East Front Street, Suite 160
Arlington, TX 76011
817-864-1818
Visit their website
Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Send an email to hello@unionworx.com
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