At The Pershing, Work Is the New Happy Hour

East Austin’s most creative private club launches a co-working space where the espresso flows, the playlist slaps, and connections are currency.

By William Bowling

Let’s be honest: co-working in Austin has long leaned more towards startup clichés than soulful spaces. But in a city where live music spills into the streets and deal-making often happens over mezcal, Pershing’s new co-working membership feels like a return to form—and maybe a small act of rebellion.

Tucked off East Fifth, The Pershing isn’t your average social club. It never has been. Founded by a crew of artists, designers, and a tech entrepreneur with a flair for community building, the club has long operated as a kind of secret handshake among East Austin’s creatives. It’s where muralists sip espresso next to musicians fresh off a tour, and where VCs occasionally trade the office tower for a back table and good lighting.

Now, the members-only club is offering a new way in: a co-working membership that transforms one of Pershing’s lesser-known buildings into a curated workspace built for inspiration, not just output.

A Space with a Pulse

At first glance, the new space hits all the notes you’d expect—open layout, plush seating, private phone booths, and high-speed internet—but it’s the atmosphere that lingers. There’s sunlight streaming through oversized windows, curated art on the walls, and a low hum of creativity that feels less like WeWork and more like your favorite local record store—if that record store had conference rooms and personal concierge service.

Yes, concierge service. Need coffee? It’ll be delivered to your desk from Pershing East, the cafe and eatery across the street that the club took over in 2023. Want lunch? Try the trout tartine or a house-made empanada, no app required. For $300 a month, it’s not just a workspace—it’s an all-day hang.

“We’ve always been about connection,” says Kyle Lauterbach, Pershing’s Chief Creative Officer. “This new space is an extension of that mission. People come here to work, but they also come to find their people.”

It’s a fitting evolution. For years, Pershing has existed at the intersection of Austin’s fading weirdness and its future-forward ambition. Its members include artists, startup founders, restauranteurs, and musicians—many of whom share more in common than they might think.

A Clubhouse for the City’s Culture Keepers

With this launch, The Pershing now operates as a four-part organism:

• The Pershing House, the original dining and social hub, built into a beautifully restored East Austin home.
• Pershing Hall, the adjacent venue that plays host to intimate concerts, speaker series, and events that lean more underground than influencer.
• Pershing East, the public-facing cafe that’s become a staple for locals looking for good coffee without the pretense.
• And now, the co-working space, the final piece of a mosaic that seems to whisper: This is what Austin still is, if you know where to look.

It’s not just about work. It never was. The idea, it seems, is to dissolve the old boundaries between the 9-to-5 and the 5-to-9. You might start your day hammering out pitch decks and end it with mezcal and jazz under twinkle lights. Here, both are part of the job.

And in a city that’s always prized originality over orthodoxy, The Pershing may be one of the few places still building for the culture instead of just the crowd.

Photos of the new co-working space can be found here.
Learn more at pershingeast.com/coworking.