7 minute read
Office to Go
Office to Go Office to Go
Is that what you do! “co-working” spaces are taking Portland by storm.Is that what you do! “co-working” spaces are taking Portland by storm.
By Jennifer K. Quartararo By Jennifer K. Quartararo
Graphic 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-
The Portland Harbor Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Providing Strategies for Wealth Creation, Preservation and Distribution
• Estate Planning
• Retirement Planning • Trusts • Corporate and Business Retirement • Wealth Advisory Services • Executive Financial Services
Steve Guthrie
Senior Vice President Financial Advisor
David M. Mitchell
Dana A. Ricker
Christopher G. Rogers
Senior Vice President Financial Advisor
Lauren Schaefer-Bove Charlotte Kelly
Senior Registered Associate Senior Registered Associate Financial Planning Associate
100 Middle Street, 3rd Floor Portland, ME 04101 theportlandharborgroup@mssb.com http://fa.morganstanleyindividual.com/theportlandharborgroup/ www.morganstanley.com/fa/theportlandharborgroup
A Morgan Stanley Company
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and its Financial Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Please consult your personal tax advisor regarding taxation and tax planning and your attorney for personal trusts. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell any security/instrument or to participate in any trading strategy. © 2011 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. NY CS 6560211 01/11 ing. In some small way, Think Tank is helping to make that possible by providing an affordable alternative to working from home or Starbucks.”
Though a waiting list is in effect at When
You Can’t Work at home (WYC-
Wah), it was the first coworking space in Portland, established in February 2009. Founder Rob Landry had moved Pemaquid, his web design studio, to a new spot at 28 Maple Street but found the rent too expensive. Then the inspiration shook him by the shoulders.
He consulted with the founder of Citizen Space in San Francisco [the first in the coworking space movement], Chris Messina, as well as Alex Hillman, cofounder of Indy Hall in Philadelphia, another of the country’s pre-eminent coworking spaces. WYCWAH caters to digital creatives, and its members include web/graphic designers, programmers, information architects, web project managers, and online advertising professionals.
“For me, coworking was a way to initially get a toe-hold in downtown Portland and surround myself with like-minded digital creatives who had complimentary skills,” says Landry. “We find coworking makes us all better and faster as we share know-how and creativity.”
At 795 Congress Street in Bramhall Square is the recently constructed coworking space Peloton labs, rising from the scorched earth where Portland’s Binga’s Wingas once held court before the fire. (The word peloton is actually a cycling term for a group of riders in a bike race who work together to move the pack forward.)
“There’s a level of professionalism here that you just can’t get at home or at coffee shops,” explains owner Peter Bass, an independent developer specializing in live/work spaces. “You can invite clients here, there’s a conference room, and there are couches for more casual meetings. You also get the community–that chat at the water cooler.”
But the quasi-medical architecture amid the Victoriana on this block–was it perhaps a nod to neighboring Maine Medical Center?
“No, I told the architect [David Lloyd from Archetype] I wanted something modern and cool and fun. I’ve worked with him for years, and he knows how to get things through the system. This area is actually a historic neigh-
Office: Home
Printer Desk chair Internet + separate office line (time Warner cable) File cabinet Hanging Folders tOtAL (monthly): tax writeoff $99.99 $79.99 $129.99
$74.90/mo. $54.99 $11.49 $74.90/mo.
renting a private office One-room office in the Old Port $325/mo. (399 Fore Street, 250 sq. ft., H.H. Sawyer realty & Daughters) Home office furnishings (monthly): $106 tOtAL (monthly) $431 + util.
Coffee shop: (Arabica) Latte + toast (you can't resist the toast there): $6 x 4 days/week = $24 x 4 weeks $96 tOtAL (monthly) $96 + costs of printing things at Fedex Kinkos.
peloton labs Private office (monthly–two left, price negotiable) 24/7 access/large dedicated area for desk + bookcases $400 24/7 access/small dedicated desk only $300 24/7 access/locker and mailbox $200 Night hours only 7pm - 7am $100 32 hours/month/daytime hours $80 8 hours/month/daytime hours $40 Membership includes internet, wired or wireless, spontaneous use of all available space in building, including conference rooms; 24/7 memberships include 5 hours of reserved conference-room time per month. Other members pay hourly for conference-room time. Memberships are all month-tomonth. building has kitchen and cafe space, deck, bike storage, large tables, private phone booth, and projector with presentation equipment and landline phones.
Think Tank Floating Memberships (monthly): Introductory Month
$125 Standard Month to Month $150 bi-annual Payment for 6 months $125/mo. Short term (Week to week) $105/wk. Membership includes free wifi, networked printer, $5/month lockers, kitchenette and dining area, work and lounge areas, and 2,600 sq. feet of hardwood under foot with an open floor plan.
borhood, so it took some convincing to have such a modern-looking building here.”
The center currently plays host to 20 members, including writers, photographers, software designers, social activists, community organizers, and event planners. Bass remembers one particular interaction that speaks to the type of networking he hopes to foster with the space: “One day I was chatting with this photographer and he says, ‘I need a digital retouch guy’ and this guy next to us says, ’Hey, that’s what I do!’ So that’s what you get here–a lot of great connections.” n
SIMPLIFY, SAVE & SUCCEED!
MAINE BUSINESS CENTER specializes in full service, full furnished and support PHYSICAL and VIRTUAL front Office Solutions.
For less than what you may be paying for utilities, alone in your present or planned traditional office, we offer all the professional front-office services and support for small and medium size businesses, including but not limited to:
• Live Answering • Call Forwarding • Order Fulfillment • Business Consulting • Credit Card Processing • Social Media Management • Search Engine Optimization • Websites • Scheduling • Faxing • Scanning • Typing • Color Copy • Virtual Hot-desk
Call or stop by Monday through Friday 8am to 6:00 pm for a free tour.
415 Congress Street Suite 202 • Portland, Maine 04101 866-580-2525 • mainebusinesscenter.com
