Noticed more tech companies renting warehouse space in South Austin

I was driving down South Congress last week and saw three old auto shops turned into tech offices. One of them was a VR studio that used to be a tire store. Last month I talked to a guy who runs a small hardware startup out of a 2,000 sq ft unit off Ben White. He said rent was half what a regular office would cost and he gets a loading dock for prototypes. Three years ago all the tech spots were downtown or up north near the Domain. Is the south side becoming the new hub for startups that need hands-on space?

3 comments

3 Comments

rubyk261mo ago

dude the "old auto shops turned into tech offices" thing is SO real. i literally just toured a space that used to be a muffler shop off Manchaca and its now a robotics lab lol. they kept the giant roll-up doors which is perfect for moving gear in/out. the loading dock thing is huge too, my buddy rents a spot off Oltorf and he says having a dock for deliveries saves him like $500 a month on freight costs. south austin is def the spot now for anyone who needs to build actual stuff and not just sit at a desk.

piper_kim1mo ago

The old muffler shop on Manchaca turning into a robotics lab is wild lol. I know the exact vibe you mean, those roll-up doors are gold for anyone moving heavy stuff around. My cousin runs a small metal fab shop out of a former tire place on South First and he says the same thing about the loading dock saving his whole budget. It's cool that South Austin is becoming this hub for people who actually build things instead of just coding apps.

sandra_bennett591mo ago

Right, my buddy's place off Oltorf has a dock too and it's a total game changer for his small engine repair shop.