Bespoke Coworking
Bespoke blurs the line between tech and retail with an eco-industrial, yearold facility that aims to create a collaborative environment for the two often diverging sectors. By providing startups co-working areas as well as access to pop-up shop space, Bespoke offers a rare perk: a place to engage users and customers in person.
Located on the fourth floor of the Westfield San Francisco Centre, the space boasts 37,000 square feet of shared space and private conference rooms that convert into shops along the public-facing wall of Bespoke. This allows companies to connect with mall shoppers through a temporary, but traditional in-store experience to get feedback from potential consumers on products like home devices from Smart Home SF and robots from Beam.
Yet for others among the 75-plus retail tech startups housed within Bespoke, it’s what’s on the inside of the succulent-covered wall that matters more. (The inside, by the way, includes an actual bouldering wall and a darkened library with plush sleeping nooks.)
On the last Thursday evening in June, 100 people filled the bocce ball court for a panel discussion with Comet Labs, Qualcomm and Lowe’s Ventures about supply-chain logistics and data access.
Glanse founder and Bespoke member Evelyn Zoubi was in attendance. Her app startup helps users find sale items with a Tinder-style swipe to the left or right; staying plugged into Bespoke’s network helps keep her attuned to the latest in retail technology as Glanse moves into big data. Zoubi feels her app belongs amid these other retail-focused companies, including on-demand stylists from Boon + Gable Style; inventory fulfillment service Darkstore; and shopping registration information keeper Shopco.
At the end of the panel discussion, as the crowd enjoyed a low-key Mediterranean dinner and wine, some people already had their laptops out and seemed excited to get back to work. After all, digital retail never sleeps.
Details: Westfield San Francisco Centre, 865 Market St., S.F. www.bespokesf.co. Membership: $595 per month for a dedicated desk.