5 Places Where Philly’s Next Generation of Power Works and Meets
Looking to rub shoulders with Philly innovators? Here’s where you’ll find them.
Meeting spots and co-working spaces where you’ll find the next gen of Philly power. Illustrations by Greg Christman
Move over, City Hall. Here’s where Philly’s New Power class gets stuff done in 2019.
The Co-Working Space: 1776
This chain (with Philly roots) has become a place where top innovators convene to expand their budding ventures. Locally, 1776 has six offices, including in Rittenhouse and Ambler and at the Pennovation Center. What puts this co-working space a cut above the competition? High-quality events, solid workshops, a vibe that fosters networking, and an impressive roster of tenants, including Houwzer, Philly Startup Leaders and Tern Water.
The Bookstore: Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books
A family-room vibe, good food, great books — progressive Philadelphians are flocking to this new-ish Germantown shop owned by Philly native and black intellectual Marc Lamont Hill. If a modern-day Harlem Renaissance were under way, this is where you’d find its leaders.
The Coffee Shop: La Colombe Fishtown
The Rittenhouse La Colombe has long been the epicenter of Philly’s creative and power classes, but this new generation prefers to fuel up north of Girard, at the always-packed Fishtown flagship. (And no, there’s no wi-fi at this location, either — which may be why it’s become the ideal spot for productive brainstorming sessions.)
The Makerspace: Bok
Whether you’re a glassblower, producer, singer-songwriter, ceramicist, printmaker, jewelry designer, performer, oil painter, interior designer, graphic designer, photographer, rug weaver, makeup artist, composer (you get it by now) … you’ll find like-minded company at this South Philly school turned creative space. It probably packs more artistic tenants and businesses per square foot than any other building in the city, and those classroom offices and long hallways mean doors stay open and interactions abound.
The Office: Your Home
Overpriced lattes, awkward open-floor-plan convos, co-worker microaggressions: At home, you’re free of all these trappings. And those are just three reasons why so many new Philadelphians say their homes are their preferred work environments in 2019. With Slack, Airtable, Google Drive, and similar sharing technologies, collaborating from the comfort of your sweatpants has never been more efficient.
Published as “Philly’s New Power Hubs” in the April 2019 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
