The Gathering Spot, the Atlanta-based networking and coworking hub, is expanding its footprint in the city by about 60,000 square feet, in what co-founder and CEO Ryan Wilson called the hub’s most “significant, exciting chapter.”
The Gathering Spot is taking over two locations in The Interlock building on Howell Mill Road: a former WeWork space and a rooftop restaurant and pool with 360-degree views of the city that was previously the L.O.A. Social Club.
“For a Black-owned business to have the opportunity to operate in this sort of footprint is really significant,” Wilson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an exclusive interview.
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin
Wilson and his co-founder, T’Keel “TK” Petersen, opened the first location for The Gathering Spot off North Avenue in 2016. They have since opened locations in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles and are in the process of building a location in Houston.
But the expansion at The Interlock is a new type of undertaking for the two. It’s the first time they’ll be operating a private member pool and rooftop, a space that is just under 40,000 square feet. It’s also the first time they are coming into spaces that are already fully constructed, only needing to change some interior elements.
The Gathering Space’s founders decided to expand because “we have always believed that our community should have the best available to them,” Wilson said.
“What this specific expansion represents is really giving that community just something very special for them,” he said. “What’s being built at The Gathering Spot is beyond any one particular industry, and I hope that this … symbolizes our commitment to building this differently,”
In a recent tour of the rooftop, it looks almost as if it was paused between lunch and dinner service from its former life, glasses and place settings still on four-top tables, plates and dishes stacked in the kitchen.
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin
But The Gathering Spot will be putting its own stamp on the space, which will be called the Retreat, Wilson said. It’s a nod to the space’s intended function as a place for members to focus on wellness and build community, which the hub’s founders believe is more important now than ever.
The locations at The Interlock give The Gathering Spot the opportunity to provide a new, higher-level offering — literally and figuratively — to its members. Wilson and Petersen envision upscale dining, events and wellness programming at the Retreat, alongside people gathering in the social spaces.
The expansion also comes on the heels of The Gathering Spot deciding to make dining complimentary at all of its locations. Previously, only breakfast was included in members' dues, but now other meals are also included.
“We’re wanting to meet the times,” Petersen said, “where community is more important than ever before, by adding more value than ever before seen in the membership.”
The Retreat is slated to open this summer with an eye to June. Access to the Retreat will be for The Gathering Spot members only and will cost $1,000 a year, on top of the hub’s annual dues of $2,100.
The second space The Gathering Spot is taking over in The Interlock is a 20,000-square-foot former WeWork, slated to open in the next 30 days or so, Wilson said. In December 2023, WeWork asked a judge during its bankruptcy proceedings for permission to reject its lease at The Interlock.
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin
The space has 14 private offices available for members, as well as desks, booths and creative spaces for podcast sets and more. The Gathering Spot will hire at least 40 people to staff the new locations.
In addition to the new spaces, The Gathering Spot is creating a new membership tier for people who live more than 50 miles from one of the clubs. The community membership will be an annual $300 fee, and then members pay $20 each time they come to a location.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Report for America are partnering to add more journalists to cover topics important to our community. Please help us fund this important work here.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
