D o l l a r sf&eSE a tnusree
Office to Go Is that what you do! “Co-working” spaces are taking Portland by storm. By By Jennifer Jennifer K. K. Quartararo Quartararo
d e s i g n e d a n d p h oto g r a p h e d b y A r i e l M a r t i n
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raphic designer Peter Vachon is seated at the corner desk on the fourth floor of 110 Exchange Street (formerly home to the Salt Institute), with views overlooking the corner of Federal Street and the former Portland Press Herald headquarters. Seated to his left is freelance writer and former Maine Biz staff member Whit Richardson, who’s arrived early to snag his desk, with its leafy views of Federal Street. Across the sunny, spacious loft is Henry Garrou, of White Tree Media and a former teacher at Pixar, in a nook. All three are paying members of Think Tank, which doesn’t sell a product so much as productivity. “Coworking space is a burgeoning new form,” says writer, artist, video producer, and Think Tank creator Patrick Roche. Roche has his finger on the pulse of a rapidly increasing global trend, with coworking spaces seeing a growth rate of 16 percent since October 2010. In Greater Portland, an estimated 1,600 people work from home (U.S. Census 2010). Think Tank, which opened in January, is one of just 700 coworking spaces worldwide. These shared offices–where members have access to Internet, printer, and phones, as well as desk and conference rooms– appeal to independent professionals including freelancers, telecommuters, and consultants who’d otherwise work in relative isolation. Originally planning on founding a “Writers’ Exchange,” Roche decided to expand his focus to other fields as well after witnessing a city which “is flourishing.” Despite having only lived here six months, Roche sees blossoming potential for a large creative economy. “I belonged to Paragraph [in Union Square in Manhattan], which was a place for writers to go. That was one of my inspirations,” says Roche. “Designing this space in Portland, I operated a lot on instinct. I tried to create a space I’d want to work in. “Many of us here would like to see Portland become a hub for creative individuals–and it can be that,” says Roche. “But it has to be a viable place for artists and young entrepreneurs to make a liv-
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2011 59
