The Hive, a coworking space for women, is opening in Old City this fall

Melissa Alam started her own branding business two years ago. Her next venture focuses on creating a community of fellow women entrepreneurs: it’s a coworking space.

Alam, 26, plans to open The Hive, a coworking space solely for women entrepreneurs, in Old City this October. It will be at 222 Race Street, the soon-to-be former office of branding agency At Media and a short walk from coworking fixture Indy Hall.

It’s another entrant to the crowded local coworking and incubator landscape, made up of homegrown efforts like Center City’s Seed Philly and Callowhill’s Venturef0rth as well as newcomers from out of town, like the forthcoming Pipeline and Industrious.

Inside what will soon be The Hive. (Photo via At Media’s Instagram)

At 900 square feet, the two-floor space will fit about ten members, Alam said. It will be significantly smaller than most of the existing spaces in the city.

Alam, who runs a women-focused media site called Femme and Fortune, said she was inspired to create The Hive because, at a Femme and Fortune career panel, she heard from other women business owners about their struggles to grow their businesses.

“I want to provide an outlet and resource for those women to come together and get the support, mentorship, advice, etc. that they’re craving as female business owners,” she wrote in an email.

She already has four members signed on, she said. Memberships will start at $100/month and go to $300/month for full-time members, and Alam said she’s working on bundled offerings.

Alam spent the last year working out of Kensington’s sprawling Impact Hub. Clients at her branding and consulting company include Jake’s Sandwich Board, Di Bruno Bros. and Cescaphe Event Group. The Temple grad lives in Drexel Hill but will be moving back to the city this fall.