Niche WorkNation: Coworking Spaces Gets Hyper-Specific

The coworking movement has come a long way - completely independent of WeWork's meteoric rise, spectacular flameout, and clawing back with new investment.

While the tech unicorn became synonymous with shared office spaces catering to freelancers and startups, a new breed of coworking communities has arrived and thrived, and Coworks has a first row seat to their development as their room booking and space management software.

These dynamic hubs are tailored to niche communities, fostering collaboration, creativity, and a sense of belonging that goes far beyond renting a desk. And at a time when loneliness is considered a health issue and a national epidemic, these businesses are truly changing lives.

From beauty salons to makerspaces, from cultural enclaves to craft collectives, coworking spaces have evolved to serve the unique needs of their membership. They offer more than just a place to work - they provide a supportive ecosystem of resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities.

At the forefront of this movement are visionary founders who understand that the future of work is about more than maximizing square footage. It's about cultivating environments where people can flourish, connect, and pursue their passions. As the following examples show, coworking is reimagined as a catalyst for creativity, entrepreneurship, and social impact.

District Studios is a Canadian based series of salon spaces that does more than rent chairs to beauty professionals. Founder Anita Wosniak was herself an esthetician looking for space and something more - she kept falling short. "I was looking for something similar to a coworking environment that an accountant, tech company, or startup would have." Today, District Studios has a waitlist for members. Amenities go beyond beautiful spaces to work, offering business coaching, collaboration and marketing help.

Parkway Social bronzeville is a historic landmark in Chicago, Illinois. Formerly a vibrant ballroom, the space now provides more than just desks and WiFi to work. Founder and mainstay of the city, Chicago's own Cliff Rome, aspired to create a welcoming hub for connection, collaboration, and celebration of the city's rich African-American culture, continuing the building's history as a safe haven.

Makerspaces are not recent creations, but running one like a coworking space is an innovative application that founder Gabrielle Mooney brings to MASS Collective in Atlanta, Georgia. Under her leadership, the community isn't just diverse in its equipment and fabrication abilities, it's purposefully diverse in its membership. "It's not about diversity," she said. "It's inclusion. And we identify people by their craft. If you're a woodworker, you're a woodworker. You're not a black woodworker. You're not a female woodworker." Members clearly love this approach, and carry it out into their wider community.

In a leafy English suburb called Sevenoaks, LIME TREE WORK SHOP attracts a range of members, who come for the beautiful workspace in a historic building and stay for the robust and varied events. Founded and operated by a dynamic pair of sisters, LIME TREE runs on providing a rich and wide series of opportunities, from holiday wreath-making to search engine optimization for small businesses. They serve the whole person, and in the face of rail strikes and increasing petrol costs, draw more and more remote workers into their beautiful space.

These are just a handful of the spaces and communities that are changing the face and legacy of coworking - and they all use Coworks space management software. It's a welcome change from the drama and eye-roll inducing cult of personality that comes from WeWork. These independent and innovative operations are the future of work. Learn more at www.coworks.com.

Lauren Walker
lauren@coworks.com
CMO
509 West North Street, Raleigh NC, 27603

Coworks is the only community-first, member-driven platform with a mission to create a delightful experience for your members and managers alike. With automated booking and billing, a searchable member directory, embedded web forms, robust reporting, and helpful resource management, Coworks puts optimization, and engagement at the forefront - freeing your community managers and operators to focus on cultivating your community. The platform is designed for traditional coworking, enterprise flex space, incubator and entrepreneurship centers, social clubs, makerspaces, and other niche community operations. Learn more at www.coworks.com