Guild Row

What Guild Row does

Guild Row is a privately held, single-location coworking and social club operating at 3130 N. Rockwell St in Chicago's Avondale neighborhood. Founded in 2016 and opened in August 2020, it is owned by three co-founders—urban planner Mike Healy, former Redmoon Theater director Jim Lasko, and architect Elyse Agnello (founder of DAAM, which designed the building). The company positions itself as a "third space" that combines daytime coworking, a café and bar (Guild Hall), private zoom booths, an outdoor courtyard with grills and fire pit (Rockwell Garden), a flexible workshop/event space (Belmont Room), and a commercial-kitchen-equipped event space (Avondale Room), along with a lending library of tools and books.

The core technology is non-proprietary: Guild Row uses third-party Coworksapp for membership and day-pass booking, Squarespace for its website, Calendly for tour scheduling, and Google Forms for the Gracey's waitlist. There is no in-house software platform, no mobile app beyond the booking portal, and no AI/ML components disclosed.

The business model is primarily subscription-based membership ($135/month or $1,485/year with a one-time $99 initiation fee) supplemented by hourly table reservations ($50/hr member, $35/hr nonprofit member, $150/hr non-member), free day passes used as a top-of-funnel conversion mechanism, $18 guest fees, and after-hours programming revenue through the Gracey's sub-brand (intimate concerts, DJ sets, bingo). GTM is direct-to-consumer via the website and tour bookings, supported by community partnerships with 50+ Chicago nonprofits and creative organizations. Pricing is publicly disclosed on the membership page. The company has won Chicago Reader's Best Coworking award for four consecutive years.

Name

Guild Row

Legal name

Guild Row

Website

https://guildrow.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Guild Row is a privately held Chicago coworking and social club offering memberships, event-space rentals, and after-hours programming to freelancers, small businesses, nonprofits, and community organizers at a single Avondale campus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coworking & Social Club

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Membership Clubs (Category-Focused) (CRAEADAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Adult Nightlife Venues (Strip Clubs) (THAFAEAK)

Keywords

• Coworking space
• Social club
• Event venue rental
• Community membership
• Flexible workspace

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Primary revenue stream from monthly and annual membership fees providing access to coworking space, amenities, and member events. Monthly memberships at $135/month or annual at $1,485/year with $99 initiation fee.
2. Table Reservations: Revenue from renting event spaces. Member rate $50/hour, Member Nonprofit rate $35/hour, Non-member rate $150/hour. All-Access members get free Saturday table reservations.
3. Day Passes: Revenue from non-members visiting the space for a day, typically offered free with tour bookings as a conversion mechanism.
4. Guest Fees: $18 per person charged to member accounts for guest visits after all guest passes are utilized.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Guild Row operates a single physical coworking and social club campus in Chicago's Avondale neighborhood, selling monthly ($135) and annual ($1,485) memberships that grant access to a coworking space, café/bar lounge, private zoom booths, lending library, outdoor garden, and community programming. The venue also rents event spaces by the hour (table reservations) to members, nonprofits, and non-members, and operates Gracey's, an after-hours artist-led music program.

Product overview

Guild Row is a single unified coworking space and social club that combines physical workspace amenities with social and event programming. The core offering is the membership program ($135/month or $1,485/year) which provides access to co-working spaces, member lounges (Guild Hall), private zoom booths, and the outdoor Rockwell Garden. Additional facilities include the Belmont Room for workshops and events, and the Avondale Room for culinary programming. The Gracey's sub-brand extends the offering into after-hours music and entertainment. Table reservations and the Give a Damn discounted program provide supplementary access options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gracey's: After hours programming at Guild Row featuring intimate concerts, DJ sets, bingo, bar, drink specials and special events. It is described as a new artist-led membership community.

Products and services

• Guild Row Membership Monthly or annual coworking and social club membership providing members access to Guild Row's coworking space, café, bar, library, lending library, private zoom booths, outdoor garden, and member events. Priced at $135/month or $1,485/year with a one-time $99 initiation fee. Access available Monday-Friday 8 AM to 8 PM.
• Day Pass Single-day access pass allowing non-members to visit and experience Guild Row's coworking space and amenities, offered free with a scheduled tour.
• Table Reservation

Quantifiable outcome

• 4 consecutive years voted Best Coworking Space by Chicago Reader
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DAAM (Architecture and Design)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDAAM is an architecture and design firm founded by Guild Row co-founder Elyse Agnello. DAAM designed the Guild Row building, which serves as the physical foundation of the venue. This is a founder-originated strategic partnership that is integral to the space's design and identity.
• Little Lark ChicagominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLittle Lark Chicago provides pizza and cocktails as an on-site food and beverage partner at Guild Row, offering dining options for members and visitors.
• Gracey's (Artist-Led Music Program)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGracey's is an artist-led membership community within Guild Row for nights and weekends, featuring intimate concerts, DJ sets, and music programming. This internal program represents a strategic community-building initiative for after-hours entertainment.
• The Giving KitchenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner supported by Guild Row that provides emergency assistance to food service workers in crisis. Guild Row displays their logo and supports their efforts.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Soho House: Global private members' club combining hospitality, food and beverage, workspaces, and curated cultural programming. Comparable to Guild Row in its 'third space' positioning, members-only access, and blending of coworking with social/nightlife amenities.
• NeueHouse: Members-only creative work club offering workspaces, studios, event spaces, and cultural programming for creative professionals. Highly comparable to Guild Row in target customer (creators, entrepreneurs) and the merger of work, events, and community.
• Industrious: Premium flexible-office and coworking operator serving enterprise and SMB customers. Comparable to Guild Row as a premium-tier coworking provider, though with a broader, less hospitality-led offering and much larger scale.
• The Wing: Members-only social club and coworking space originally targeted at women, combining workspaces, meeting rooms, and curated programming. Directly comparable in its third-space members' club concept blending work and community.
• The Assemblage: Members-only co-working and wellness club combining workspaces, event programming, and holistic wellbeing offerings. Comparable to Guild Row in the hybrid work/community/wellness membership positioning and curated programming model.

Broad incumbents

• WeWork: Global flexible-office and coworking incumbent with significant Chicago presence. Comparable as a coworking competitor, but operates at much larger scale and with a less hospitality- or community-curated brand.
• Spaces (IWG): IWG's creative, design-led coworking and flexible-office brand. Comparable as a coworking competitor in the Chicago market, but with a much broader portfolio of locations and global scale.
• Convene: Premium meeting, event, and flexible-office operator with hospitality-grade service. Comparable in the premium event-rental and workspace overlap with Guild Row, though weighted more toward corporate meetings and less toward community membership.

Emerging players

• Common House: Members-only social club with coworking, dining, and event spaces in select U.S. cities. Comparable to Guild Row in its hybrid social/work club model and curated community positioning, though at an earlier, smaller scale.
• Make Office: Independent coworking and event-space operator focused on design-forward, community-driven spaces. Comparable to Guild Row in the curated, hospitality-inflected coworking niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/graceys.guildrow
• Xx.com/guildrow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/guildrow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Guild Row