Examples of Cowork Space + Coffee Shop in one!

[ma...@deskcowork.co.uk]

Hi All,

We want to create a space that serves coffee and food, but be public facing as well. We've found the perfect property that can accommodate this! 

I am struggling with ideas though on how best to design the space and the coffee shop so that they feel beautifully intertwined, the members enjoy it, but also so that the regular coffee drinkers who are not members do not feel out of space and can still enjoy a great coffee experience.

I'm looking for examples of spaces to look at for inspiration. I only know of these two, and wondered if you guys have any ideas?

https://fruitworks.co/ (looks like a coffee shop on the floor below them?)

https://www.openmilano.com/it/ (it is primarily a public work space, cafe and event space with a cowork space behind a big glass wall!)

[Alex Hillman]

Here are a couple of my fav examples:

http://sanktoberholz.de/en/coworking/

https://www.betahaus.es/

-Alex

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The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.

Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org

Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com

My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten

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[Tobias Schwarz]

However, besides St. Oberholz in Berlin, you should also check out Le Phare du Kanaal in Brussels, and the Blas Cafe in Dublin. :-)

[Tobias Schwarz]

When it comes to design, you should do whatever you like. This shows what kind of person you are and this well help you not only to attract people that like coffee, but the "right people" that will fit in better to create kind of a community.

[rac...@thepad.com]

I haven't actually been to it but everyone raves about it, Hanahaus (http://www.hanahaus.com/)

[Angela Garland]

I own a coworking/coffee house in Washington, MO - small town of only 14,000 people.  The concept works great because it create a culture of community.  There can be a deposition going on in our conference room, a ladies book club in one of our open seating areas, a business meeting, a mom in workout clothes with kids in tow coming to grab a latte and go, students, etc.  We only have 10 private offices that are rented plus 1000 sf of open space for the coffee shop and coworking.  exit-11.com . I am happy to answer any questions.

[Barbara Sprenger]

Hi -- check out Covo in San Francisco and St. Louis. They're wonderful! The site is hellocovo.com

[Michael Williams]

I second Covo. It is public but most of the users are members of the space. It's built in between the public/private barrier so members can still feel separated when ordering. 

HannaHaus isn't a great example as it has a blue bottle outside of the coworking space that's much more public facing. 

Michael Williams

Cowork Member Benefits Provider

PortalSoft.io

[ma...@deskcowork.co.uk]

I like this advice a lot! 

I think the daunting thing is when we first opened we boot strapped it and so could only build as and when, which meant it was easier to make decisions about where things would go relative to the current set up.

However with this project we are starting with a little cash from the off so are just trying to plan it to be as perfect as possible. Obviously we have our experience and knowledge that helps from the previous set up, but well worth reminding myself of this advice you just gave. 

[Alex Hillman]

However with this project we are starting with a little cash from the off so are just trying to plan it to be as perfect as possible. Obviously we have our experience and knowledge that helps from the previous set up, but well worth reminding myself of this advice you just gave. 

I feel this - our first two locations (and expansions within them) were always naturally constrained in some way (budget, pre-built spaces, etc). When we moved ~18 months ago, it was the first time we got to step back and design everything from scratch. The best part is that you can do anything! But the worst part is...you have to figure everything out. And if you get it wrong, you can't blame "well, that's the way it was."

At the same time, I've seen lots of places with more resources ($$$) than we had make the mistake of approaching their design more focused on first-impression than the lasting one.  

So instead of making "perfect" the goal, we focused on choosing a few key areas that we knew were painful in our previous spaces and improving on them in some measurable way. But beyond that, we made a somewhat counterintuitive decision to build everything else to be slightly unfinished and imperfect. 

I'm not talking about the shabby-chic aesthetic that seems popular...we genuinely want the space to communicate to our members (current and future): this is a work in progress. Your ideas and effort will make it better. 

As a result, within weeks after moving into our new space, we had lots of members feeling a strong sense of connection to the space AND lots of feedback about the environment "feeling like home" - directly attributing the fact that it looked and felt more lived in. 

So even when you have more resources, it's a really good idea to give yourself some constraints (even if they're artificial) that encourage your community to get involved and let the space evolve with them. :)

-Alex

------------------

The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.

Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org

Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com

My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten

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[Katia Senff]

Workshop Cafe in San Francisco www.workshopcafe.com 

On Thursday, January 11, 2018 at 7:26:34 AM UTC-8, ma...@deskcowork.co.uk wrote:

[Barbara Sprenger]

Hi --

You might want to check out Covo in San Francisco. They’ve done a wonderful job with this.

Union Coworking also has one of their 5 centers with a coffee bar.

We were able to set up a free one hour wifi pass for them with coffee, then people are offered a membership.

In order to combine a coffee bar with coworking, you might think about setting up two tiers of broadband: the coffee bar would have the usual level of service for a coffee shop, then the cowork area with increased broadband and ergonomic seating, etc.

Barbara Sprenger

831.222.2100

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[Teresa Carbajal Ravet, M.A.]

Hello, 

I've done this in Central Texas, known in the area as the Sententia Vera Cultural Hub. It's taken some education for the public to understand that it's a combination of a Coworking Professional Space and Public Coffee Bar. Recently I've experienced that more professionals are coming in to check out the coffee bar and enjoying the idea of staying to cowork with fast, reliable internet, desk space, and plenty of electrical outlets. 

On the coffee shop front, there are a couple of social groups (retired professionals) the "hang out" at the coffee bar on a weekly and monthly schedule that add to the community feel. There is a morning ladies knitting group and a happy hour "Soul Sippers". Both are ladies groups - both groups of retirees that enjoy the ambiance and want the SV Cultural Hub to succeed. 

I started out arranging the space by intermixing  the coworking areas with the coffee lounge, however quick and blunt public feedback shared with me. The public wants a clear and visible line of demarcation between the public "free" area vs. the professional "paid" area. 

SV Cultural Hub is coming up on its first year anniversary in August and has gone through several iterations of the space arrangement. As we grow I'm consistently noticing how space is used by coworkers, meeting room groups, and the public coffee drinkers, and any challenges and strengths to make changes and trial runs. 

My one suggestion is to get lightweight furnishings to allow the flexibility for change. 

Check the space out on www.SententiaVera.com and its YouTube channel to see a video of the space, https://youtu.be/BFhihGQBivQ

All the best! 

-Teresa

On Thursday, January 11, 2018 at 9:26:34 AM UTC-6, ma...@deskcowork.co.uk wrote: