1. The Coven offers a coworking space to minority entrepreneurs. 2. The Coven founder Alex Steinman, left, with Dogwood Coffee founder Angie Anderson. 3. The Coven wants to franchise in “underdog” markets.
In their roles at advertising agencies in the Minneapolis area, Alex West Steinman and her team often worked to elevate minority entrepreneurs. Steinman & Co. took another step in 2017 to support those groups and create an inclusive workspace with the launch of The Coven, a coworking concept they’re now franchising.
The Coven focuses on women, nonbinary and transgender community members, though it is open to all. The belief is that by serving “the most marginalized communities,” the team can help create an improved working life for everyone, said Steinman.
“We talk about ourselves as a community of radical changemakers,” she said. “We’re a place where people connect, learn and grow.”
When the group established The Coven, the founding members were all at various marketing agencies around the Twin Cities. They noticed there weren’t many spaces for minority employees or entrepreneurs.
“While there was a lot of interest in the work that we were doing around helping advance women and people of color, there was not a lot of interest in the economic support,” time and effort necessary, Steinman said. “So, we decided to create the world women and trans folks deserve to work and live in.”
The Coven raised $350,000 via crowdfunding and opened its first location with 150 members, a number that has ballooned to more than 1,000 between the two spots in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Members have access to flexible workspaces and conference rooms, can tap into professional development courses and take part in hosted events and workshops.
The third location, which is the first franchise, will open in Minneapolis through a partnership with local roaster and coffee shop company Dogwood Coffee.
There have been some bumps in the road along the way. While the COVID-19 pandemic affected the community, the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 had an even bigger impact. As the epicenter of the riots, many in Minneapolis wrestled with feelings of anger, mourning and confusion. In response to the unrest, many businesses temporarily closed their doors in hopes of avoiding looting or property damage.
The Coven’s staff wanted to help the reeling community. They began collecting donations of basic items and necessities, such as food and cleaning and hygiene products, and used the workspace as a hub to distribute items to other local organizations.
The Coven’s franchise journey began in July 2022. Its first franchisees, Angie and Dan Anderson of Dogwood, will open their location in 2024 as part of a partnership between the two companies. The Andersons were already looking to expand Dogwood, and found a building that would not only serve their needs, but also The Coven’s.
“It’s a space that’s ready to go for a place like The Coven,” said Angie Anderson. “Alex and Erinn” Farrell, co-founder and partner at The Coven, “told us that they didn’t want to open the location themselves, but guess what? They were franchising.”
Anderson has always been interested in the Minneapolis community, and found The Coven as a way to engage with entrepreneurs like herself. Seeing that they shared many values as companies and businesswomen solidified the partnership. She also plans to find ways to integrate The Coven into her other Dogwood locations.
When it comes to connecting with more prospective franchisees, Steinman is intently focused on those with community connections. “Because our business is so community centered, it’s really important for us that whoever is running a Coven in any city has deep connections with community and connectors of their own,” she said, “and that they are interested in the economic development of the people around them.”
Franchising will be the main avenue of growth for The Coven moving forward, and the team is specifically looking at what Steinman called “underdog markets” such as Oklahoma, Texas and Florida, where spaces for its target audience are lacking. The cost to open a Coven location ranges from $198,400 to $470,200.
“I love the phrase, ‘Joy is an act of resistance,’” said Steinman. “Because we really believe that a space that’s joyful can boost creativity, build connections or muscles for leadership development, and we really don’t talk about ourselves as building community. We’re the container that holds the community and its magic.”