The Wing, a women’s-focused co-working company, is opening up its first Chicago location in Fulton Market in March.
Like others of its kind, The Wing caters to women and gender non-conforming professionals who are looking for co-working offices without men.
The Wing is based in New York, where it has three locations. It also has locations in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. The Wing, which has raised $117.5 million in venture capital funding since launching in 2016, has more than 6,000 members across its network, said The Wing spokesperson Zara Rahim.
Though the company identifies as a women's-focused social club and co-working provider, The Wing recently adjusted its women-only policy. Now, The Wing's policy states that anyone can be a member. Around the same time, though, a $12 million lawsuit was filed against The Wing, alleging the company discriminated against men. But The Wing says they changed their policy before the lawsuit was even filed.
The new 8,000-square-foot Chicago office at 811 W. Fulton St. will only offer open office workspace and not any private offices like some of its competitors do. The office will provide all of the typical Wing amenities, including beauty rooms, lactation rooms, and a library full of books by female-identifying and gender non-conforming authors. The office also has a café, and offers regular events, workshops and panels for members.
The Wing, which is now taking applications for its new Chicago office, chose to open the Fulton Market location because it had received many requests from locals who were interested in joining if one was nearby, Rahim said.
“We had heard from a lot of women in Chicago that this is something they really wanted to see in their city,” she said. “Chicago is going to be our first Midwest location, so we’re really thrilled about that.”
The Wing’s membership costs $215/month for access to a single location. For $250/ month, members can access all current and future Wing offices across the globe.
The Wing is opening in Chicago at a time when several other women’s-focused co-working companies have been expanding to the city. Last year, EvolveHer opened in River North and just in November, citygirl@work opened in Lincoln Park.
Take a look below at renderings of The Wing’s Chicago location:
