Co-working spaces are booming in Charlotte. Here’s how to choose one
Co-working spaces – designed as affordable, shared, flexible spaces targeting startups and entrepreneurs – are booming in Charlotte. Four new spaces have opened since April.
As mobile devices and Wi-Fi untether us all, co-working for many is the right midway zone between leasing expensive office space and scrambling for an available outlet at the local coffee shop.
(Click here for a partial list of area co-working spaces.)
Looking to nab a desk or office at one of these places? Here’s what to consider:
(1) Choose your vibe
Spaces are designed not only to provide workspace for members, but a sense of belonging, too. At Industry Coworking, on the campus of the NC Music Factory, one of the main entrances leads right into an open space with couches and a long table, all set up for workers.
Uptown startup hub Packard Place hosts 400 events annually for members and the public, according to co-founder Dan Roselli.
Are you an artist looking for a studio? C3Lab in South End has 11 artists studios.
Want more of the feel of an “afterschool club?” That’s how 809’s Mark Bruinooge describes his space in Third Ward, which adds members through referrals only as a way of building an inclusive community.
There are no offices at Advent Coworking in Plaza Midwood, where members sit at tables or in cushioned chairs in an open space.
Uptown sites Level Office and Packard Place, and Industry, all emphasize their office spaces as places where small ventures can grow fast.
Hygge, in Third Ward, makes a conference area known as “The Living Room” available for free for local nonprofits, paid for through a sponsorship from OrthoCarolina.
(2) Don’t expect tradition
Well before its space opened, Advent started out as a meetup group called “Art, Beer and Creative Folks.” Co-founders Ryan Mitchell and Kevin Giriunas hosted a speaker series at neighborhood art venues and breweries. When the opportunity to create and lease a co-working space happened through Doug Bradley of Bradley Construction, Giriunas and Mitchell already knew about 20 people who presigned to be in the space.
Advent’s path illustrates co-working spaces’ emphasis on community. If that’s not your thing, co-working is probably not for you.
Just as you’ll find tables and chairs at Hygge, there’s also a day bed and Ikea cushions, pillows and blankets. “This space is to be used how you want to use it,” says Hygge’s Kayla Dugger, who co-owns the space with Garrett Tichy. “You should feel at home at your work.”
(3) Pick your perks
Common staples that come with membership include access to kitchen areas and conference room, free coffee, beer and snacks, and secure WiFi. Some tout their parking as well.
Other amenities vary: free use of the printing station at Industry, access to a podcast studio at Advent, and a ping pong table and bikes at C3Lab.
(4) Mind your manners
Co-working space organizers say most members instinctively get that work in a universal space, and act accordingly – from putting their dishes in the sink to cleaning their crumbs off the table.
The Hygge Pinky-Promise asks for the first one in to put on some coffee, and the last one out to turn off all the lights.
A basket of plastic yellow ducks is for Advent’s “quack-off rule.” If a member has a duck out on the desk, that’s a do not disturb sign.
Advent co-owner Ryan Mitchell says that’s a lighthearted way of discouraging interaction within a space where interaction is strongly encouraged. There are times when open spaces may prompt some members to start talking quietly.
“You should never whisper in here,” says Hygge’s Garrett Tichy.
Photos: Lift-Off Photography LLC – David Jaffe; C3 Lab
This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 9:08 PM with the headline "Co-working spaces are booming in Charlotte. Here’s how to choose one."