Inside Grow Marketing’s New San Francisco Offices

  • Client Grow Marketing,
  • size 8,009 sqft
  • Year 2014
  • Location California, San Francisco, United States,
  • Industry Advertising / Marketing,
  • Grow Marketing has recently designed and moved into an incredible new office space located in an historic San Francisco building on Pacific Avenue in Jackson Square.

    Grow Marketing is an engagement marketing firm that creates compelling experiences and emotional brand connections with consumers. Some of their clients have included Google, The Glenlivet, Sephora, Levi’s, GAP, Dockers and more. Grow was launched in 2001 by two former business competitors, Cassie Hughes and Gabrey Means.  Means was the experimental marketing director at Gap who closely followed the business actions of Hughes, the former marketing and publicity director for Levi Jeans.  But the competition ended one day over a bottle of wine.

    In 1911, 570 Pacific Avenue in San Francisco, a four-story building, housed a hotel on the upper floors called the Pacific, the Nottingham and the Seattle. However, its most famous tenant was the ground floor saloon, Spider Kelly’s, also a favorite of seedy sailors and well known for being “the worst dive in the world.” Luckily, more than a hundred years later this historical building, located in what is known today as Jackson Square, has been renovated and redecorated to become the new iconic home of Grow Marketing. In 2012 the duo decided they wanted to make Jackson Square the new home of their business.  October 25, 2013 was their official move in date and they completed all final touches on the space in April 2014. They embraced the raw and unfinished space and its large size, turning it into a feminine, Parisian inspired, and colorful workspace for their company to expand and flourish.

    Every aspect of the design reflects the intention and culture of the company.  From the front reception area with a formal sitting area, antiques, and molded adorned walls to the all glass conference room with a long harvest table and white leather chairs; their eclectic aesthetic shines through. The kitchen feels like a cafe with small antique tables and bar stools, yet modern with Grow green counter and backsplash, giving the employees a sense of relaxation, which is always well deserved.

    The office has a colorful, multifarious feel that keeps their staff motivated and celebratory.  The space that they have created exudes their culture and mindset, with the collaborative workspaces and gathering spots such as “the nest”, “parlor” or “grove.” Employees on the lower levels work in sectioned areas in groups of 4 desks typically, each with a different vibe and color scheme, whereas the executive employees work in offices that are separated by black and white fabric with French antique desks and chairs.  The office has a colorful, multifarious feel that keeps their staff motivated and celebratory.

    Design: Cassie Hughes and Gabrey Means, co-founders of Grow Marketing, collaborated with their designer Josef Medellin
    PhotographyJonah Podbereski