'Neighborhood work club' Switchyards to open Greenville location: Here's what to know

Iris Seaton, Greenville News

Switchyards describes itself as a "neighborhood work club." Now, a new location is coming to a Greenville neighborhood.

There are currently 17 Switchyards coworking locations, with Greenville and Asheville, North Carolina, set to join the roster within the next month.

Here's what to know about the new Switchyards coming to Greenville.

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What is Switchyards?

The Switchyards website describes it as a lot of things. A gym for the mind, a third place for work — and the first of its kind. But what do the locations actually offer?

CEO and founder Michael Tavani described Switchyards as a "mashup of a coffee shop, a great hotel lobby and a library." The locations really are an eclectic blend of very different environments. Switchyards Greenville will feature two separate spaces to facilitate two different workplace styles.

  • Library: The "library" space is intended to serve as a quiet area for deep focus. "No phone calls, no Zoom, no talking, and we even pipe in white noise," Tavani said. "And it's very much meant to be heads down, focus for a couple of hours."

  • Cafe: On the other end of the spectrum, Switchyards locations - Asheville included - feature a more energetic "cafe" area better suited for collaboration. "You can leave that library and go to another part of Switchyards, and it's super buzzy and vibrant," Tavani said. "And that's kind of the high, low."

The idea of this high-low contrast designed to suit a wide variety of work styles is one that Tavani designated as one of his favorite parts of Switchyards spaces, and a feature that makes the locations truly unique as hubs for remote work.

"Some people like the quiet, some people like the buzzier, and some people like both within like one setting," Tavani said.

Switchyards' Atlanta - Adair Park location
Switchyards' Atlanta - Adair Park location

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How much does Switchyards cost?

With the "8 days for $12" deal, new members are charged $12 for an eight-day trial of Switchyards facilities. After the eight days are up, monthly dues are $100 per month.

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What's the point of coworking?

Tavani said that, when his team opened their first coworking space in Atlanta around 10 years ago, they were observing the very beginning of a remote work revolution. Switchyards offered a space for remote workers beyond coffee shops and living rooms.

"We basically decided to create a gym membership, but for for work instead of exercising," Tavani said. "Just a place that you can reliably go designed for work. Not to be an office replacement, not to be like a place that you go for 40 hours a week, but to be this place that you switch it up, you know, get out of your house, work around people."

Switchyards' Atlanta - Decatur location
Switchyards' Atlanta - Decatur location

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Where is the Greenville Switchyards location? When does Switchyards open?

The new location is located at 1263 Pendleton St. It is set to open Oct. 17. It will have 5,330 square feet of space, according to a news release. Early access memberships drop at 10 a.m. Oct. 10. Only 250 memberships will be available. Interested prospective members can sign up at switchyards.com/greenville for early access when memberships drop, sneak peeks of the space, and more.

Switchyards' Nashville - Eastwood location
Switchyards' Nashville - Eastwood location

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Switchyards amenities

The Greenville Switchyards website lists features and amenities of the space. Included on the list are:

  • Two meeting rooms and four soundproof phone booths bookable at no extra cost to members.

  • Open 24/7.

  • Bottomless coffee and tea.

  • Fast internet.

  • Generous guest policy.

  • Access to all Switchyards clubs.

  • "No less than 137 lamps."

And, of course, perhaps the quintessential amenity Switchyards is intended to provide: "Not your house."

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Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Switchyards is coming to Greenville: What to know about coworking

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