Kaitlyn Cole of onlineuniversities.com forwarded me a very comprehensive article entitled, “Everything You Need to Start Your Own Coworking Group”. Check it out.
151 Locust
I recently had the privilege of visiting a friend from Purdue in Atlanta for a week. In true college-days-style I crashed on an air mattress in his living room – it was great! Huge thanks to Jeff for his hospitality and for showing me around the city.
It didn’t occur to me until my third day in Atlanta that there were likely coworking spaces nearby. A few minutes later I had phone numbers for three spaces. A lot of rings and one answer later, I was sold on 151 Locust. They aren’t 24/7 (with keycard access) like some spaces, but instead are open 9am – 7pm with a receptionist to answer calls, welcome guests, and provide general good vibes. (Shout out to Wendy for being very helpful and friendly).
151 Locust is in a nice neighborhood on the east side of Atlanta near Decatur. The building is an old (massive) house that has been renovated into various office spaces. There are presentation rooms with large tables and presentation screens, smaller workstation rooms, and casual desks/sofas on the ground level. There are even a couple patios fully stocked with comfortable furniture. Just beware the gnarly mosquitoes.
Did I mention the kitchen? No? Well the kitchen is fully stocked with any kind of beverage (including 8 different kinds of beer) you could ask for, gourmet coffee maker, and all kind of delicious snacks.
My workstation for the week.
The hardwood floors throughout gave a very warm and comfortable vibe, while the professional workstations and lighting kept things sharp and productive.
The price is insanely low for this space. I’m tempted to move to the area just for 151 Locust!
The receptionist, Wendy, informed me that they’ve been in operation for about a year and a half and have 20+ full time members. On most days I saw between three and five coworkers strewn about. Looking back, I should have made more of an effort to introduce myself and get to know the locals, but I was in full-time hustle mode finishing up a large project. The few conversations I had were friendly and full of charming southern accent. Love it!
151 Locust is excellent in every way. I am more than sold on the idea of coworking, although I’m not sure how they remain sustainable with such low monthly fees! I suspect the owner isn’t in it for the money but rather for the community.
I hope to find myself back at 151 Locust (at least for a visit) sometime soon.
[UPDATE: Find 151 Locust on Facebook here]
While in Chicago visiting friends last weekend, I searched out and visited “The Coop“, a small coworking space run by One Design Company. The building is east of downtown in the meat-packing district (the building used to be a chicken coop, hence the name of the coworking space) and is located right off of Chicago’s rapid transit system, “The L” – very convenient.
The space is open with nice high ceilings and gives off a warm, calming vibe. I met with Tessa of One Design Company and she introduced me to the space and how membership works. They offer a $300 no-contract monthly rate for full-time members as well as part time memberships with various daily rates. The space includes a shared T-1 connection, desks with nice chairs, a full kitchen, artwork on the walls, hardwood floors, and 24/7 key card access for full-time members.
I didn’t meet any of the coworkers when I stopped by on Friday afternoon, but the nice thing is that during regular business hours the One Design Company staff is always in the next room (so you’ll never show up and “cowork” alone). The coworking space is in one large room with an opening to another large room – One Design Company’s office space. Tessa explained that if it’s a slow day on the coworking side of the office they usually invite the coworkers to come on over and join them. Gotta preserve that coworking vibe!
I had a good time chatting with the friendly people at The Coop and I look forward to seeing them again soon. I am excited about the space that they have going in Chicago, and will definitely be using them as a resource as an Indianapolis coworking space gets closer to reality.
This short video is takes a look at the coworking operations of two spaces: Hat Factory and PariSoMa.
The Hat Factory was the first full time coworking space in the world. Now coworking has spread to every major city in the world (except Indianapolis).
“If you’re working at home you’re mostly working alone – and as an independent worker myself, I know that my motivation tends to vary a lot. If I’m collaborating with other people I tend to stay motivated.”
Basic, yes. But I think the simplicity hits the nail on the head.
I’ve been doing some searching for other people talking about coworking in the Indianapolis area:
I’ve been interested in the idea of coworking for years. After looking into coworking spaces in the Indianapolis area, I was surprised that I couldn’t find any. Why not start one? The purpose of this website is three-fold:
I envision a place where entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent workers can network, share resources, collaborate, and bounce ideas around. A dynamic group of independent workers in an environment that nurtures each individual while also elevating the entire group. A rising tide raises all ships.
What do you think? Would this be something you or others you know might be interested in? Contact me today or forward this website to a friend who might be interested.
If you think this is an exciting project, please use the links below to share this website with your network. I appreciate your support.
