Dog-Friendly Coworking Space To Open In Alexandria

A new coworking space is set to open in the heart of Old Town Alexandria this month at the Founders Hall building. ALX Community will debut Monday, April 23 as a dog-friendly work environment along with a South Block juice bar, pop-up retail and more at 106 North Lee Street.

The 75,000-square foot coworking space aims to provide office space to businesses that don't want to be tied down to long-term leases. Businesses or individuals have flexible options for daily, monthly and annual memberships. For example, they could get a day pass or flexible amount of hours for a shared desk or a dedicated desk or private office.

ALX Community could accommodate up to 100 workers, depending on how many people occupy the office spaces, chief operating officer Kelly Grant told Patch. The first floor contains amenities, while the second floor is office space.

Members must scan in to access the secured second floor, which contains 11 offices, desk spaces, three conference rooms, phone booths for private phone calls, lockers and a communal area with a kitchen. The communal area will be home to regular professional development seminars for businesses, offering tips on how to grow sales, hire employees and other topics. The space will also host community events, like the Spring2Action annual giving day happening on April 25. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

Perhaps one of the best amenities is the ability to bring dogs to work—as long as they're well-trained. "Alexandria is one of the most dog-friendly communities in the country," said Grant. "We felt that it made a lot of sense and people would be happier."

Memberships also come with numerous amenities. On the first floor, you'll see a media wall displaying events going on around Alexandria. To the left is a South Block juice bar, the brand's eighth location. To the right sits a pop-up retail shop by Jennifer Kearney, the person behind 116 King ( whose former location will become Mexican restaurant Urbano 116). Other amenities include a separate entrance for workers with pets, Wi-Fi, a bike rack and more.

As of April 5, ALX Community is about 50 percent full, with tenants ranging from government contractors to video production.

The coworking space will be open 24 hours. Visit alxcommunity.com to find out more and schedule a tour.

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Renderings via ALX Community