New coworking space above downtown S.F.’s Ikea opens
Hej!Workshop, the coworking space that crowns San Francisco’s only Ikea store in MidMarket, launched last week, and now the Chronicle has taken a look inside.
A separate doorway adjacent to Ikea’s entrance at 945 Market St. leads to a ground-floor lobby that was still under construction as of Tuesday — it provides escalator and elevator access to the fifth floor. That’s where Hej! Workshop, the coworking concept by Ikea sister company Ingka Centres, just opened shop.
Ingka Centres purchased the 250,000square-foot formerly vacant Market Street mall property in 2020 for $198 million, and finally opened the Ikea store there last year. Flexiblespace provider Industrious operates the roughly 46,000-square-foot coworking space, which spans the entire floor and provides a refuge in the heart of downtown for startups and office-based workers who are craving flexibility.
A total of 127 private offices are available for leasing for 1-3 year terms, but Industrious members are also able to take space on a month-tomonth basis. Hej!Workshop’s mazy layout includes common spaces and conference rooms, which, along with a reception lounge and small library, are decked out in Ikea furniture.
The lounge features a coffee bar and connects to a large training room, which has a capacity of 25-50 people — the modular space can be adapted for larger or smaller teams.
About half of the offices are currently staged with Ikea furniture, but all are available to be customized. The starting membership rate is $399 per month, though it is possible to rent space on a per-day basis. An hour for on-demand meeting spaces for nonmembers costs $75. Private-office rates start at $1,355 per month.
As companies in San Francisco continue to give up office space in light of increased remote work options, the hope is that Hej!Workshop’s flexible terms and location inside of a newly renovated shopping complex will appeal to those seeking space for in-person meetings and collaboration. The opening of a multilevel food hall, called Saluhall, is expected in the coming months, and other retailers are sought for the mall’s remaining commercial spaces.
No leases have been signed yet, but a “fitness oriented” tenant — like a gym or fitness retail — is expected to fill the third floor, while the fourth floor will likely house entertainment-based tenants.
“The idea is that Hej!Workshop will be something where you can spend 14 hours a day — you can go to the gym, shower, go to work, grab food in the middle of the day,” said Reilly Moran, a member experience associate with Industrious.
During a visit earlier this week, the space was quiet, but a couple of members were at work in private offices. A representative for Industrious confirmed that five office leases have been secured so far.
“I’m hoping for a smile while you’re having coffee, getting to meet new people and intermingle,” said Ashlee Jones, senior partner manager at Taskrabbit, which is owned by Ingka.
Taskrabbit is fully remote with 57 employees based in the Bay Area, and while it is not a tenant of Hej!Workshop, its employees receive “productivity” stipends that can be used to lease coworking space.
“It’ll be a great meeting of my coworkers, but also it’s an opportunity to meet other people across the industry,” Jones said.