Midtown event venue Work & Leisure to close at end of January

After seven-plus years, Midtown event venue Work & Leisure (3015 Locust) will close at the end of January. The 5,000-square-foot space, located in an area sometimes referred to as Midtown Alley or the Design District, is anchored by branding and marketing agencies TOKY and Atomic Dust.

In a Monday social media announcement, Work & Leisure owners Jordan Renaud and Raven Weinrich cited a changing cityscape and a shifting economy as reasons for the closure. Elaborating on that decision, Renaud tells SLM that tighter budgets led to a slowdown in bookings in 2025, including networking events, corporate happy hours, and training classes, as well as more traditional private events. “We’ve always been able to operate with people on a tight budget and reduce costs,” he says, “but we were finding that the person who might have booked us for a 50th birthday ends up hosting it in their backyard instead.”

Renaud is proud of W&L’s charitable accomplishments over the years and its tornado relief efforts, but most emphatically expressed deep gratitude to the guests who chose Work & Leisure as a place “to celebrate, to grieve, to dance, to laugh, and to make memories.” A notably passionate and appreciative presence in the hospitality community, he says he hopes to remain in the industry. “I’ve loved every second of it,” Renaud adds. “I love the people in this city so much. What a dream. It’s been the ride of a lifetime.”

The Background

Courtesy of Work & Leisure

Courtesy of Work & Leisure

The venue first opened in 2018 as Brennan’s Work & Leisure, an unconventional, boutique-style, mixed use co-working space created by restaurateur Kevin Brennan. In 2022, Renaud took over the operation, rebranded it as Work & Leisure, and repositioned the space as a private event and corporate meeting venue. STL Barkeep, a St. Louis–based, cocktail-focused event company, was a founding partner in the project. Weinrich has been W&L’s beverage director for the past three years.

The two-story venue, which could accommodate up to 200 guests, featured a flexible layout with offices and conference rooms upstairs, multiple bar and staging areas, and recreational amenities including bocce ball and shuffleboard courts.

Photography courtesy of Avalanche

Photography courtesy of Avalanche

In addition to private parties, the venue hosted a handful of whimsical public events, including Avalanche, a month-long, ski resort-inspired pop-up capped off by a free NYE PJ Party; The Reception, a two-night immersive comedy experience; and Adult Indoor Summer Camp, a three-week slate of events including Red Rover, Duck Duck Goose, bocce ball, friendship bracelet making, and themed cocktails.

Work & Leisure also served as a home base for chef Liz Schuster’s Tenacious Eats, hosting events that paired a film with a multi-course menu and drinks inspired by the movie. Schuster has referred to the long-running, unconventional series as a “one-of-a-kind, full-contact dining’ experiences.”

The closing announcement also included details of a final farewell party on January 30. Renaud and Weinrich are inviting friends, family, industry peers, regulars, early supporters, and familiar faces who helped shape the space to come raise a glass together. “No tickets. No agenda,” the post reads. “Just drinks, memories, and a whole lot of gratitude…surrounded by the people who made it special.”