April 19, 2023 – Haworth, a leading global manufacturer of office furniture and interior architecture, and VEL, a tech-forward work café, are announcing a partnership to open several hybrid coffee shops across the country. This solution supports a structured hybrid model giving workers flexibility – acknowledging working just from home or the office isn’t realistic.
VEL has an existing space in Savannah, opened in 2022. The partnership with Haworth will open cafés in Charlotte, North Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; Charleston, South Carolina; Boston, Massachusetts; and Chicago, Illinois. Beginning this spring, all are scheduled to open in 2023 and 2024.
Coffee shops, commonly referred to as “third spaces,” are the most popular spaces for work outside of the office or the home. In fact, just under 60 million freelancers in America report
working out of a coffee shop 1 or more days a week. However, these third spaces were never created to support work. VEL’s work café with Haworth provides the same products and experience as a coffee shop but adds a tech-forward workspace. The cafés will provide beautifully designed open and private settings; reservable spaces; private and encrypted high-speed, large bandwidth WiFi; charging pads; and acoustic measures for quiet spaces. “The financial partnership with Haworth is key to the VEL work café experience. We can’t build in a traditional way to achieve an optimal, tech-forward, amazing workspace and beautiful coffee shop,” said Mo Hamzian, VEL Co-Founder & CEO. “Haworth’s approach, expertise and products create this and quickly. They are perfectly positioned for this structured hybrid model.”
The VEL concept will use Haworth’s Pergola as an important building block for the work café concept, particularly in those in large public spaces. This freestanding architectural product can also function as an office space divider. Pergola allows VEL to utilize existing architecture, lowers expenses and shortens lead times for construction projects. Additional Haworth products in the VEL work cafés include: Hushoffice, Cabana, Chick poufs, café tables and café seating.
“When we were approached by VEL, we had just been through a coffee shop experience with the Haworth Hotel,” said Diane Turnwall, Haworth’s Architectural Products Sales & Marketing Director. “In addition to being a common third space, there is an energy and hospitality to these spaces that is vital in the work from anywhere environment. The working world needs more public spaces specifically designed to support work.”
This partnership would not be possible without Price Modern, Haworth’s Best In Class and largest North American dealer. In addition to making the VEL and Haworth introduction that led to the new spaces, Price Modern will be helping create and install the work cafés.