The Beauty Shoppe‘s latest coworking outpost has a unique twist: This 12,000-square-foot workspace on the South Side includes four studio spaces that double as retail storefronts.
Ranging in size from 800 to 1,200 square feet, these studio-storefronts include their own exterior public entrances on Terminal Way. So a crafter or maker can manufacture goods in the same high-visibility space where they sell their wares.
Beauty Shoppe partnered with Monmade, a local craft business accelerator, in designing the spaces.
This new Beauty Shoppe is inside at the century-old Terminal Building, now known as The Highline, which was once the largest cargo warehouse between New York City and Chicago.
Along with four maker spaces, it includes conventional coworking space. A 360-degree seating area overlooking the Monongahela River and Pittsburgh skyline was designed as a nod to the building’s origins as a train terminal.
Original brickwork, masonry, arched ceilings and concrete floors were restored, and the art and furnishings were made by Pittsburgh-based companies.
So far three tenants, one relocating from Brooklyn, are in the process of finalizing agreements to be the first occupants of the maker spaces.
“Through the years we have built relationships with many of the talented makers involved with Monmade, like Bones and All, which has built beautiful custom furnishings for several Beauty Shoppe locations including the Terminal Building,” says Zachary Ciccone, head of growth at Beauty Shoppe. “For us, it was a no-brainer to introduce a coworking concept to service these types of businesses and provide an alternative, retail-style offering that allows us to cater to members’ needs at all lifecycles.”
Since 2011, Beauty Shoppe has been transforming historic buildings into creative hubs that feature flexible seating, private desks and offices and light-filled community spaces.
When planning started in 2018 for The Highline, designers took inspiration from the Bauhaus movement, which marries manufacturing and craft. The 868,000-square-foot property is being redeveloped by McKnight Realty Partners and will eventually include offices and retail outlets, a public fitness center, green areas, bike storage and parking for more than 500 vehicles.
Astroid, Beauty Shoppe’s full-service café, is now open in the Terminal Building.
“We saw an opportunity to activate storefront spaces while also providing a compelling work environment in a total package that is meaningful for the greater Pittsburgh community,” Ciccone says.
“With each Beauty Shoppe location we think carefully about what that specific space and place calls for, and so this concept was expressly envisioned for Beauty Shoppe Highline. Of course, it’s something we will definitely consider for future locations.”