Denver Work Club Provides A Network of Programs for Professional Growth

Photos courtesy of Eric Staudenmaier | TARRA Work has a refreshment bar and multiple spots for meeting.

When Kate Bailey set out to create a woman-centered coworking space in Denver, she took it a step further and made it a work club. In addition to offering a variety of spaces and membership options, TARRA hosts events.

“Our model is truly community driven,” Bailey says as she gives a tour of TARRA Ofce. “We have all the amenities of a work space but the true value of TARRA is in the network and one-to-one relationships as well as our unique programming model that provides our members with professional tools and resources to thrive.”

“Denver is a woman-friendly place to start a business, but there’s also a high rate of failure and lack of support when you’re starting out,” she says. “There’s a gap of resources available, and if you don’t have the money to hire an assistant or consultant, it can be hard to advance.”

The kitchen at TARRA Office.

TARRA offers Power Tuesday workshops and Well Care Wednesdays. Topics might include budgeting, marketing, productivity or setting up a business. Some sessions are member-led; other times experts are brought in to lead single or multi-session workshops.

There are two components to it: TARRA Ofce and TARRA Work. TARRA Office opened a year ago in a 9+CO building on the former University of Colorado Health Sciences Center site. Its 33 private offices spread over 9,000 square feet start at “micro” one-person spaces for $635 a month and stretch to large offices that rent for $2,200 a month. In addition, there are meeting and conference rooms, soundproof phone rooms, and open-plan areas with sofas, chairs and tables. Plus, there’s a kitchen with a refrigerator, a roomy island and a coffee bar with beverages from woman-owned Wagon Roasters and Teatulia.

A velvet sofa anchors an area for gathering at TARRA Office.

A variety of options for involvement are available, starting at $24 a month for a community membership. Access to the facilities can be purchased by the hour, the day or be unlimited.

Down the street is TARRA Work, which is a cross between a private coffee shop and an upscale living room, with a refreshment bar, street-level access, comfy booths, conference rooms and Zoom rooms for small team meetings.

The company, Bailey explains, is named for Tara, a powerful female Buddhist figure believed to have the ability to guide followers on their spiritual paths. Bailey refers to her as the “mother of enlightenment.”

Bailey, who previously ran a marketing and advertising agency, said she had looked for an organization that offered support to women in business but wasn’t finding it, so she launched TARRA in 2015. She found a critical ally and investor in Peter Falcone, CEO of Continuum

Warm colors and contemporary design create a welcome atmosphere at TARRA Office.

Partners, a Denver-based real estate development firm. Even before the pandemic, Continuum saw major changes in the way office space was being used, and was open to reimagining the office environment.

Architect and interior designer Oonagh Ryan of ORA in Los Angeles designed the TARRA spaces with the idea of combining the comfort of a home with the hospitality and function needed in an office space.

Richly textured fabrics like velvet, warm woods, a variety of seating options, stylish lighting and a warm color palette create a welcoming environment.

“A space can only go so far,” says Sarah Kornhauser, who rents one of the office spaces at TARRA for the nonprofit organization she works for, UpStart Labs. “I was drawn to TARRA for its focus on women entrepreneurs. It can be used as a vehicle for enacting change.”

TARRA OFFICE
865 Albion St., Suite 250, Denver

TARRA WORK
935 Albion St., Denver
720-248-7785

Suzanne S. Brown is a Denver-based writer and editor.