Ethel's Club
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | co-working space, social club |
| Founded | January 1, 2019 in Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Founder | Naj Austin |
| Website | www |
Ethel's Club is a social club and co-working space located in Brooklyn, New York. Founded by Naj Austin in 2019, it was developed to serve people of color and allies.[1][2]
Background
[edit]The Wing is one of the best known co-working spaces targeted at women.[3] Ethel's Club founder and CEO Najla Austin stated in an interview that The Wing is targeted at, "a certain type of woman, which, from my point of view, is not for me."[3] A former member of WeWork, she stated that the organization had few other black members.[4]
After finding few resources during her search for a Black woman therapist, she developed the idea to found a wellness club for "people of color and allies".[5] It is named after Austin's grandmother, Ethel.[6][7] Austin received $1,000,000 in pre-seed funding from ten investors including Roxane Gay, Hannibal Buress, Katie Stanton, and Liz Fong-Jones.[8]
History
[edit]Ethel's Club had a soft opening in November 2018,[9] and officially opened at its location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on January 1, 2019.[5][1] As of March 2020, the business has approximately 200 members.[10]
Ethel's Club offers co-working space and events for members, with a focus on emotional health and wellness.[5][11] Members pay a monthly fee to access the club's resources at two different membership levels.[1][5] The organization also maintains a code of conduct for members.[6] It is one of 56 minority-owned co-working spaces in the United States.[8]
The interior designer is Shannon Maldonado.[6] She designed the space with the idea of a "cool" grandma in mind, a nod to the club's namesake.[6]
Ethel's Club developed digital memberships and created virtual events in response to social distancing requirements resulting from COVID-19.[10][12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Jerkins, Morgan (2019-03-09). "'For Us, by Us': Inside the New Social Spaces for People of Color". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ Silver, Johanna. "Ethel's Club Is The First Private Social Space Designed For People Of Color". NowThis News. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ a b Kinstler, Linda (2019-10-18). "The Wing: how an exclusive women's club sparked a thousand arguments". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ "Coworking Spaces Aren't Inclusive. Ethel's Club Wants To Change That". AfroTech. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ a b c d Ward, Marguerite. "I toured a Brooklyn 'social club' for people of color that has its own theater and offers group therapy sessions. Here's what it was like inside the trendy offices that could be the future of coworking spaces". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ a b c d Taylor, Nora. "Ethel's Club Is a New Kind of Coworking Space". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ Somvichian-Clausen, Austa (2019-11-15). "Brooklyn club puts creatives of color first". TheHill. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ a b Garrett, Brianne. "The New Wave Of Co-Working Is Black-Owned, Inclusive And Serving The Underserved". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ "Coworking Spaces Aren't Inclusive. Ethel's Club Wants To Change That". AfroTech. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ a b Hillocks, Shanika. "A Community Space Closes Its Doors But Opens a Virtual Home". Bon Appétit. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ "How People of Color are Redefining Coworking for Their Communities". Rewire. 2020-01-08. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ Goodwin, Josh Rivera, Brett Molina, Coral Murphy, Mike Snider, Jefferson Graham and Jazmin. "Necessity and inventions: How these entrepreneurs are adapting to a pandemic". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
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