Could co-working succeed in a traditional St Paul neighborhood?

[Bob T]

I am considering buying a building in a neighborhood that is mostly
working people, and very diverse. There is nothing "upscale" in the
area, but it is not scary either. It has a mix of businesses like
cleaners, insurance, auto parts, electricians, chiropractors, travel
agencies.

I doubt that there are many people who live in the immediate area who
would be potential members. It would have to be people who would
come in from nearby. Its on a major street into dowtown, near a
major highway, 2 miles from downtown, and would have easy free
parking.

Here is a view of the building: ( 1116 Rice Street , St Paul )

http://goo.gl/AR4Pv


There is a little mall nearby, a corner grocery next door, an ice
cream and sub shop, a public library, catholic church. It's about
2 miles from downtown, and on a major street that comes in from the
suburbs.

The reason that I picked this location is that it is near my home, and
I liked the building. I am getting a good deal on the building, but
it needs lots of work to turn it into offices.

I'll be in the building myself, but I am mainly doing this to attract
other people so I am not working at home anymore ( or, as I like to
call it, "Living at Work" ) One of the options I could offer would
be a virtual server on one of my VMware host machines.

I will improve the building for office work. It could be a
comfortable environment, but it will never be a glass/chrome/granite
style palace. The property includes a vacant lot that could be used
for outside lounging. The building is built in 1902 and has high
ceilings and tall windows.

Would appreciate any feed back asap, before I shell out more money!

Thanks!
Bob

[CoCoMSP]

Hey Bob, 

This is Don Ball from CoCo. We're in Lowertown St. Paul as well as Minneapolis. Love the location you're looking at. If you're looking for any thoughts on the pros and cons of running spaces in more neighborhoody environments, I'd reach out to Josh at The 3rd Place. They're in St. Anthony Park (on Como kinda near the State Fair) and have been in operation for 2.5 years.

Here's their contact page. 

http://the3rdplace.us/contact-us.php

Good luck!

d.

[Randall G. Arnold]

My general thoughts ...

 

I'm a wannabee space creator but even more than that I'm a wannabee coworker.  Outside of a love of collaborating, my number one motivator is convenience.  It is inconvenient for me to deal with the terrible traffic in the Dallas - Fort Worth area.  It is inconvenient for me to drive away from work if I don't pack a lunch.  It is inconvenient for me to maintain 2 automobiles... I'd rather walk or ride a bike or moped.

 

Traffic is the biggest aggravation for me by far, and I suspect for many commuters..  I spent over an hour going 13 miles today... along with thousands of other frustrated commuters.  Plop a coworking space in or close to a congested area like my town (Keller, TX) and get employer buy-in, and people should be breaking your door down to use your space.

 

Convenience.  Amenities.  Employers willing to buy-in to coworking and/or self-employed individuals with a need.  That's where I would start... so I would really think hard about traffic patterns in and around your target location.

 

Randy

 

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