Around 2010, coworking spaces created a booming industry that today has over 5,000 units operating nationwide. These communal working environments have encouraged people to make their own way in this do-it-yourself economy.
Each space is different, but they all share a common purpose: to provide a space for both small companies and individuals to work freely, flexibly and affordably in a communal workspace that gets them out of their home offices and coffee shops. This is no typical office rental. These spaces are usually open-air and offer amenities like single desks, conference rooms, month-to-month contracts, and kitchen space. For many, they become a home away from home.
Coworking spaces started in the major cities, run by chains like WeWork, Industrious and Knotel, but have since started to appear in smaller towns, like Beacon, Rhinebeck, New Paltz and Kingston. Located at the Senate Garage at 8 North Front St., CoWork Kingston has opened its doors to small businesses, freelancers, remote workers, and content creators of all types.
Don and Judy Tallerman say they decided to open CoWork Kingston because they saw a gap in the market. So much of Kingston’s population is young and entrepreneurial, and yet have no place to work with people like themselves.
The 2010 census ranked Kingston as having the fourth highest percentage of workers who work from home in the United States, at 8.1 percent. The Tallermans think they have tapped into a market that can change a growing community for the better.
“Working remotely is becoming more and more popular and rather than work out of your house or apartment. We wanted to create something in Kingston where people could socialize, collaborate, and walk to restaurants and bars,” said Don Tallerman.
The company is primarily offering single desks, although there is the potential to accommodate small companies of two to ten. For $375 per month, renters get 24-hour access to the facility. It has wi-fi, a lounge area, a full kitchen, and the use of any of multiple conference rooms equipped with large tables and projectors. The Senate Garage’s location right next to the Senate House means renters can spend time with the Senate House grounds’ Adirondack chairs and picnic tables for outdoor meetings or breaks.
While CoWork Kingston is, at its core, a place to work, it offers more than that. Since the desk one rents is yours alone, renters are free to make the space their own. There are plenty of quiet, comfortable lounge areas and the Senate Garage’s steampunkish, Edison lamps-laden décor encourages modern creative thinking.
But perhaps most importantly, coworkers are surrounded by network of people who are eager to collaborate and brainstorm when you need that creative boost. “The idea is to create a community of creators … so that we might have website designers, copywriters, coders … because that’s what a lot of the remote jobs are,” said Don Tallerman. “It’s going to be a gathering place for the community for independent workers. We hope this will become a place where people who are working remotely, working as contract employees, can be social and network.”
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