A company that rents out decentralized workspaces in locations meant to serve as retreats has now arrived in Manhattan at 821 Broadway.
Barnfox, a work and retreat club, is leaning into the idea of remote work by giving people beautiful spaces where they can focus on their careers and their mental health at the same time.
The company describes its portfolio as a “growing network of beautifully designed, community-driven work and retreat spaces that empower you to live, work, and play from anywhere you choose.”
Ever since opening in February 2020, Barnfox has been growing rapidly and now has locations all across New York, including its new Union Square location, two developments in Hudson Valley, and a manor in the Catskills.
At the new Union Square location, the work and retreat space allows members the ability to work from its network of city and getaway locations, a benefit that isn’t available by major coworking companies.
The space is also equipped with Barnfox’s signature amenities including complimentary nitro coffee and kombucha on tap, a snack bar stocked with local vendors, and outdoor events in seasonal rotation that includes kayaking on the Hudson River, cycling, yoga classes, and farm-to-table dinners that help members form bonds with each other and with the local community.
“Reconnecting with nature is core to Barnfox’s existence, and with each new location we are creating new opportunities through events and activities to help members replenish in nature,” said Co-Founder Tim Tedesco.
To create a fully integrated offsite retreat ecosystem, Barnfox introduced an accommodations program in early 2021, a curated collection of boutique hotels, private homes, rustic cabins, and unique lodging experiences which are all located within five miles of Barnfox workspaces.
Members get access to exclusive booking rates and benefits for a seamless work retreat or company offsite experience in getaway destinations.
In response to a waitlist of over 100 individuals and companies interested in private offices, communal workspaces, and offsite retreats, Barnfox launched a “residencies” program for teams.
The residencies provide a much-needed flexible solution to companies with commercial office spaces that sit underutilized, integrating travel concierge, offsite retreat facilitation, team engagement tools, and ongoing remote workplace strategies.
“Your work life should coincide with the way that you want to live your life,” Barnfox Co-Founder Frederick Pikovsky told Bizjournals. “We felt like if we could build beautiful spaces that people can convene away from the city, but within reach of the city, and we would run programming that was very camp-lifestyle, we [could]draw people to our spaces. We also felt like as remote work culture would grow, more people would have the ability to live in those sort of places as well, the sort of getaway destinations.”
Barnfox’s growth is in part thanks to the new Head of Development, former WeWork executive Kiel Lawrence, who is responsible for spearheading residencies in new locations.
The company also recently landed $1 million in funding, provided largely by Foster Supply Hospitality, a company that creates “soulful and rurally independent small hotels and restaurants in the Western Catskills.”
