SAN FRANCISCO — The Hivery welcomed the new year with its second Bay-area coworking location for women. Located on Marina Boulevard at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, the 5,000-square-foot coworking space and its 25-foot ceilings offer views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco waterfront.
Founder Grace Kraaijvanger, an artist who first conceived of The Hivery as a place for women who felt stuck and needed a community of other inspiring women to create, to express and to help each other, said opening a second location at 2 Marina Blvd. made sense. “Practically speaking, we had 25% of our community in our Mill Valley location commuting to us from San Francisco, and our members were begging us to open a city location. So, when the opportunity came up to make that happen, we worked hard to find the perfect place,” Kraaijvanger said. “For us and our community, the creative and impact-driven campus of Fort Mason Center for the Arts and Culture was not just a beautiful place (although we love our views of the Bay!), but it was also perfectly aligned with our values of kindness, creativity and community. The thriving and bustling nature of artistry, events, theater, showcases, delicious food and thoughtful retail made it an easy choice as our second Hivery home.”
Membership at The Hivery ranges from $20 per month to $360 per month and there are also online community options for $35. They currently have more than 500 members and serve entrepreneurs, writers, creatives, consultants, artists, coaches and more. Kraaijvanger said a common thread amongst its members is that they are seeking or actively working on their next chapter, whether that’s starting a new business, changing careers or writing a second book.
“It’s our belief that coworking is a vehicle or transportation for something much deeper and more impactful. It’s our life’s work to nurture and spark ideas big and small, and help each of us create work that is authentic, viable, kind and helps to make the world a better place, one individual at a time,” Kraaijvanger said.
While coworking continues to explode across the country, the long-term viability of the industry is still in question. Many coworking spaces are searching for creative solutions to achieve sustainability. Last year Spacemize partnered with leading London hotels to turn their underused bar areas into productive workspaces during the day.
Having alternative ways to engage with their community and partners is a part of the company’s business model. In addition to coworking, they offer an incubator, events, programming, groups for women and more.
In fact, The Hivery’s sweet spot seems to be its community focus. “It is a fundamental, human need to feel belonging. When you enter a space, whether it’s in-person or digitally, and you feel seen, heard, and understood; that’s the ingredients for human connection. People are searching for something much more meaningful than a place to put their laptop; they’re searching for that deeper sense of connection and belonging, AND the visceral response we have when we feel part of something ie not alone,” Kraaijvanger said. “Co-working spaces like The Hivery that are committed to serving their community as a first priority, and have a voice and values to intrinsically feed that need for human connection … that’s an entirely different approach and service than simply a beautiful place to plug in and work.”
She said The Hivery has every intention to continue to spread magic, love, beauty and impact far and wide. “Stay tuned for our big vision to bring The Hivery to more locations in the Bay Area and beyond,” Kraaijvanger added. “But first, come visit us in San Francisco!”
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