The Study: Irving’s new hot spot for business
The newest business hotspot in Irving, TX, isn’t located in Las Colinas but right outside of old downtown, just past a transmission shop-turned-fountain and next to City Hall on Irving Boulevard.
The Study opened its doors in August 2017 as the first small business and entrepreneur center in the 13th most populous city in Texas. At its helm is Tom Foley, a New York native with a gregarious attitude that has won him trust among the members of The Study and the city’s leadership and business community. In a wide-ranging conversation, Tom spoke to Launch DFW about how a northerner lawyer ended up in Texas supporting local businesses, and what we can expect in 2018.
The sun was shining through the windows of The Study, which has an almost 360-degree view of south Irving, as Tom spoke. We were tucked away in the corner of the 25,000-square-foot space as members worked or chatted quietly.
Some of the current members Launch DFW spoke with offered their perspectives on the community within The Study and how Tom’s vision persuaded them to see a future at the coworking space.
Lynne Braggs of Braggology marketing and business consulting has been a member since the facility opened in summer 2017. After relocating back to Dallas from Washington, D.C., Lynne connected with the Irving Chamber of Commerce upon the recommendation of an associate who said the Chamber was an ideal place for a small business to hitch their wagon. From there, she connected with Tom and they “hit it off.”
“I saw the vision; I was able to grab hold of what he wanted to accomplish here and it meshed really well with how I see things,” Lynne said. Lynne calls herself an entrepreneur at heart after working with bigger corporations, and she saw The Study as a blank canvas upon which Irving small business owners could write their vision. Tom’s focus on women-owned business was also a plus for Lynne.
“We all seem to be on the same page and…have the same mindset,” Lynne explained. “It just makes for a very friendly open very creative type of environment.”
