Brennan’s Work and Leisure is a new mixed-use space located at 3015 Locust Street, the business district just east of Grand Center and in-between the newest city corridor in progress, the Jefferson Connection. Dubbed the ‘Design District’ due to the number of agencies that have taken residence there, such as Atomic Dust and the neighborhood anchor, Toky Design.

People may be familiar with Brennan’s Central West End location, a night time destination for social cigar, wine, liquor, and hijinks. This space is different, since it’s designed intentionally to be a co-working space and cafe during the day and an event venue, bar and restaurant at night.

With an equitable balance of work and play in mind, the affordable $95/month fee for coworking at Brennan’s Work and Leisure includes a $40 cafe credit for morning coffees all month or to be used against a paid business lunch for their members.

Brennan’s Work and Leisure Offers a Mixed Use Coworking Space

EQ spoke to Jordan Renaud, a co-owner and manager of the new space about what makes it different and their vision.

The new building was bought from Mary and Eric Thoelke and built from the shell, Renaud explained. “A lot of people told us we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into with a buildout/rehab of a 100 year-old building in this rough of a condition.”

The folks from Brennan’s opened the space in October 2018 and have been steadily building a faithful following of locals. Co-working isn’t new to the Brennan’s crew: at the Maryland Ave location, the top floors house BHIVE offices and conference rooms.

Similarly, offices and conference rooms are found on the upper level at Brennan’s Work and Leisure. What makes this concept so different is the openness. For example, a 100 ft. bocce ball indoor court can be transformed into a presentation stage or a fashion runway.

“The space is event-ready with 3 large screens, sound system (and a glass DJ/sound room) and enough flexible floor space that it can be theater or conference seating or a dance floor accommodating up to 240 people,” says Renaud.

Mixed Use Coworking Spaces Growing in St. Louis

The fusion of work and leisure and mixed use coworking spaces is a growing trend in St. Louis, from the weekly Venture Cafe at CORTEX’s 4240 Duncan building to the cocktail bar Trust at Covo downtown.

These innovative spaces provide a social backbone to entrepreneurship, previously thought of as a lonely business, but now increasingly recognized as a natural outgrowth of our hyper-networked social and work worlds.

The walls of Work and Leisure reflect a “work hard, play hard” mantra.

The new space is adorned with quotes reminiscent of the revolving signage above the bar at the original Brennan’s. Signs that say, “The best intelligence test is what we do for our leisure,” and, “The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time,” remind us that entrepreneurship isn’t all drudgery.

Renaud is expansive and inclusive on who might find the future of their work there.

“We don’t have a particular audience in mind, it’s really come one, come all; but the space is really designed around the social elements that make work a pleasure. For daytime co-workers there’s a grab and go section at the front of the space. For night owls, there’s bar open everyday but Sunday, to 11pm and 12pm on Fridays and Saturdays.”

Looking for a Coworking Space in St. Louis? The full set of plans and amenities at Brennan’s Work and Leisure can be found here.