Workshop 17 opens Paarl co-working space in former warehouse

Workshop 17 have announced the opening of their latest co-working space in Paarl, in the Western Cape, in the heritage site, the Tabakhuis. The new site opened on Monday (1 October).

The company is known for its various co-working spaces around the country — including those at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town as well as a space at Maboneng, Johannesburg.

Workshop 17 Tabakhuis, is located on the corner of Tabak and Louws Street in Southern Paarl, is in a historical building that was once used as a storage facility for tobacco, hence the name. It has been transformed into a work and meeting place for a community.

In a press release today, Paul Keursten (pictured above), co-founder and CEO of Workshop 17, said he was very excited about Tabakhuis opening. “We always look for locations with a ‘wow’ factor, and Tabakhuis being a more than 100-year old former warehouse definitely offers that.”

The building is situated just off the Main Road in Paarl, close to the N1 highway.

Westleigh Wilkinson, director of Workshop 17, commented that Tabakhuis’s design is centred around a workspace within a café environment, adding that this is aimed at encouraging idea generation and collaboration between those from large companies and startups that use the space.

Along with over 140 hot desks, 16 private offices, four semi-private offices, and a cafe, Tabakhuis will offer members ideas lounges, pause rooms, informal meeting booths, and lounges — along with a fully-equipped seminar room that can seat up to 80 people.

Based on a membership model, Workshop 17 Tabakhuis offers memberships to suit all needs and work styles — from the frequent traveller who needs a couple of hours a month, to the entrepreneur who requires fast wifi, stylish meeting rooms and printing facilities. Fees range between R630 to R3100 a month

Those with full memberships will also have access to all the other Workshop17 spaces in the country, including Cape Town, Maboneng, Sandton, as well as new centres planned to open soon in Rosebank in Gauteng and Cape Town’s city centre.

Featured image: Workshop 17 co-founder and CEO Paul Keursten (Supplied)