New business brings co-working space to downtown Seguin

Felicia Frazar The Seguin Gazette

There’s a new business downtown and its owner is hoping to see it “Rise” to the challenge.

Seguin native Erik Saengerhausen purchased the building at 204 S. Austin St. that formerly housed Playoffs Sports Bar and converted it into a co-working space, called The Rise.

“If you’re a member, you can come in here and use it,” he said.

The business boasts a variety of ways to use the space in a more flexible, relaxed setting, Saengerhausen said.

“You just come and sit down and do your thing,” he said. “If you want to have a meeting with someone, they can come in and sit down.”

Co-working spaces are more often seen in larger cities like San Antonio, Dallas and Houston. As Saengerhausen looks to conduct more business locally, he wanted a shared space to do that in.

“I didn’t want a boring office,” he said. “I was like, this is what I want, so let me build it and hopefully other people want it too.”

In his previous opportunities of working in places similar to this, Saengerhausen found it was a great way to network with other people and businesses, and is hoping to create that type of atmosphere here.

“You’re not stuck in a cubicle,” he said. “Here, you can’t help but interact with other people. It’s a way to network and grow your business. That is already happening with the small amount of people we already have. That is what we are really looking forward to.”

The downstairs area is The Rise’s flex space. Those who pay a monthly fee, or even daily drop-in rates can stop by the business and pop in to use any open workspace of their choosing either at a table, working bar or on couches.

Renovations to the building include constructing a wall at the back of the building to create a conference room with a 16-foot table, a mounted television, Chromecast access and a small snack room area.

The flex space is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is available for rent after 6 p.m.

“If you needed to have a corporate meeting or a private meeting, you can rent this space out,” Saengerhausen said. “It has a break room area to have drinks and snacks.”

Access to the space upstairs is limited to those who opted for a dedicated desk. On the second floor, there are 16 desks — most facing the window, overlooking Central Park. The area comes with its own, restrooms, printer and access to the balcony.

“You couldn’t ask for a better view, you’re looking right at the square,” he said.

In keeping up with a technological world, the building has wifi access for its tenanets, who are not locked into contracts or leases, they only pay month-to-month. It also is completely automated. Access to the building is done through a phone app, lights are on motion sensors and there are surveillance cameras for security purposes, Saengerhausen said.

Saengerhausen decided to pay homage to the building’s origin as a bakery in the business’ name and in decor.

“The name The Rise came from the building’s history; it was a bakery and dough rises,” he said. “We wanted the people and the community here to rise up together.”

While the building’s original exposed brick and pipes give it a classic industrial feel, splashes of color and graffiti-style artwork add a vibrant element to the building.

“With the colors, you can’t help but come in here and feel somewhat inspired to do something,” he said. “It is very colorful and it is hard not to be inspired when you show up. I knew I wanted to be edgy.”

A friend of his created the artwork and Saengerhausen and his wife built off that, by adding color accents through out the building, and pulling the color for the furniture.

“My wife hand sanded and painted all of the chairs,” he said. “It took her about two months. Then we took the color everywhere. Every little arch I wanted painted one of these colors. It just kind of took on a life of its own. I love it because it is so colorful while still staying industrial.”

In a time where people are working more from home, Saengerhausen said a co-working space like The Rise is just what they need.

“People were locked in their houses due to COVID,” he said. “I think as humans we want to interact with other humans. This kind of sets the stage for it.”

For more information about The Rise, visit www.riseseguin.com/ 

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