Thanks all. Comments on this have been extremely helpful!
Will
···
On Wednesday, October 29, 2014 10:01:52 AM UTC+1, Jeannine wrote:
Hi, TIm,
Are you Bucketworks? (Um, that came out sounding a little more existential than I intended. Wisconsin has that effect on me. :-))
I wonder if you have a blog post lying around we can put on the Coworking Blog? Or if you copudl write one?
I think your take on this would be really interesting, to a lot of people.
Cheers,
Jeannine
On Saturday, October 25, 2014 5:42:02 PM UTC+2, Tim Syth wrote:
Hi All,
We currently operate out of a mall.
Positives
Because the economy in Milwaukee has been depressed for awhile, the rates are dirt cheap. Like crazy cheap. I would bet more mall space moves in this direction.
Security: We have a FOB system and the door is locked 24/7. There have been occasions when the door was left open and we did have strangers drop in and grab gear, but we learned quickly.
24/7 access: Because the mall needs tenants, a member just calls security after the mall is closed and gets let in assuming they are on the security whitelist. I add our members to the whitelist
Noise: It was a bummer until we disabled all the Muzak speakers near our space. Its pretty chill now. But “shhh!”, we definitely hacked the space.
Diversity: our mall is at the center of the city, all bus lines pass it and all types of people use it. Because of this, we get a lot of non-standard people walking by and stopping in to ask questions. This, in my opinion, is a massive opportunity to diversify beyond the standard nomadic, tech-oriented, middle-class user base. This positive alone makes much of the negative go away.
Community: It can very much be a community-driven and -oriented space. We must be careful not to let our own ideals mask the creativity and resilience of humans. It works, but it will likely be a slightly different crowd that you see in the photos.
Negatives
Natural light: We don’t have any windows directly to the outside. The center atrium allow some light in through the front glass, but our space is deep so the back is all artificial light.
Parking: There is lots of it, but it is relatively expensive. A daily user can spend more on parking in a month than the membership costs. That is money I would rather we were collecting than giving to the mall. Biking and public transit solve this problem.
Access: While we can get into the building, parking and then walking into a large building to our spot isn’t as convenient (or easy to find) as having a space that is curbside or standalone. This can have an effect on event attendance because malls do have an environment that can be very different than the environment within our space.
Bottom line: The lack of natural light and expensive parking can be a lot to bear, but the diversity of users and the fact that a consumption-based location is being disrupted and improved (in my opinion) is pretty cool.
On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 5:15:05 AM UTC-5, Will Bennis, Locus Workspace wrote:
Hi All,
Recently a shopping mall realtor approached me about opening a coworking space in their closed gaming zone/internet cafe. I’d love to hear opinions about this, pros and cons. Before you completely ignore this post as coming from someone who is clearly not from the same coworking planet, here is why I’m even considering it:
(1) With respect to the fact that mall real estate goes for a premium: At least where I am, a lot of shopping malls are trying to build in community/space quality features that make going to the mall (which lets face it, most people in urban areas sometimes do) a more human experience: space-taking areas like open art galleries, free indoor playgrounds, exhibition space, gardens, etc. These spaces add value/traffic to the mall as a whole, making the rentable space more valuable. This means that the mall owner may be willing to partially fund a coworking space if it adds value to the mall as a whole.
(2) With regard to the importance of community and quality of the work environment: Sure, malls are horrific. But they’re also a reality. Wouldn’t creating coworking spaces in the horrific reality of a shopping mall make malls a little less horrific? To the extent you could contribute to the reinvention of malls as more human, community-focused spaces, wouldn’t it be a good thing to promote the development of a coworking space in a mall?
(3) With respect to the objection that it wouldn’t be sustainable; the kind of people drawn to coworking would not want to do it in a mall: The malls where I am right now have many fast food restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, etc.) with free bad wifi and people working away on their laptops or in business meetings, or higher end cafes where laptop workers aren’t as welcome and places to work aren’t comfortable or well suited for meaningful work or quality meetings. I would guess many of the people who work in the area or who are just there while their partners are shopping or their kids are at the movies would love a more human space to work. Yes, they’re not the people traditionally drawn to coworking, but is there room for something in between?
My big question I guess is whether there would be a way to do this that would create more than the equivalent of a hotel “business center” or an internet cafe? Would there value or demand for a community-focused workspace in a mall?
Clearly this couldn’t be an ideal community-focused and community-driven coworking space. But is there room for something between the ideal and the “business center” in a shopping mall (or airport or highway gas-station/restaurant off-ramp for that matter)? Something that would help build the sense of community and humanity in these largely community-less spaces? Could it bear the coworking name?
I do not have a blog post lying around, but I would be happy to write one. Shoot me a direct email and we can arrange specifics and what not there.
Thanks.
···
On Wednesday, October 29, 2014 4:01:52 AM UTC-5, Jeannine wrote:
Hi, TIm,
Are you Bucketworks? (Um, that came out sounding a little more existential than I intended. Wisconsin has that effect on me. :-))
I wonder if you have a blog post lying around we can put on the Coworking Blog? Or if you copudl write one?
I think your take on this would be really interesting, to a lot of people.
Cheers,
Jeannine
On Saturday, October 25, 2014 5:42:02 PM UTC+2, Tim Syth wrote:
Hi All,
We currently operate out of a mall.
Positives
Because the economy in Milwaukee has been depressed for awhile, the rates are dirt cheap. Like crazy cheap. I would bet more mall space moves in this direction.
Security: We have a FOB system and the door is locked 24/7. There have been occasions when the door was left open and we did have strangers drop in and grab gear, but we learned quickly.
24/7 access: Because the mall needs tenants, a member just calls security after the mall is closed and gets let in assuming they are on the security whitelist. I add our members to the whitelist
Noise: It was a bummer until we disabled all the Muzak speakers near our space. Its pretty chill now. But “shhh!”, we definitely hacked the space.
Diversity: our mall is at the center of the city, all bus lines pass it and all types of people use it. Because of this, we get a lot of non-standard people walking by and stopping in to ask questions. This, in my opinion, is a massive opportunity to diversify beyond the standard nomadic, tech-oriented, middle-class user base. This positive alone makes much of the negative go away.
Community: It can very much be a community-driven and -oriented space. We must be careful not to let our own ideals mask the creativity and resilience of humans. It works, but it will likely be a slightly different crowd that you see in the photos.
Negatives
Natural light: We don’t have any windows directly to the outside. The center atrium allow some light in through the front glass, but our space is deep so the back is all artificial light.
Parking: There is lots of it, but it is relatively expensive. A daily user can spend more on parking in a month than the membership costs. That is money I would rather we were collecting than giving to the mall. Biking and public transit solve this problem.
Access: While we can get into the building, parking and then walking into a large building to our spot isn’t as convenient (or easy to find) as having a space that is curbside or standalone. This can have an effect on event attendance because malls do have an environment that can be very different than the environment within our space.
Bottom line: The lack of natural light and expensive parking can be a lot to bear, but the diversity of users and the fact that a consumption-based location is being disrupted and improved (in my opinion) is pretty cool.
On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 5:15:05 AM UTC-5, Will Bennis, Locus Workspace wrote:
Hi All,
Recently a shopping mall realtor approached me about opening a coworking space in their closed gaming zone/internet cafe. I’d love to hear opinions about this, pros and cons. Before you completely ignore this post as coming from someone who is clearly not from the same coworking planet, here is why I’m even considering it:
(1) With respect to the fact that mall real estate goes for a premium: At least where I am, a lot of shopping malls are trying to build in community/space quality features that make going to the mall (which lets face it, most people in urban areas sometimes do) a more human experience: space-taking areas like open art galleries, free indoor playgrounds, exhibition space, gardens, etc. These spaces add value/traffic to the mall as a whole, making the rentable space more valuable. This means that the mall owner may be willing to partially fund a coworking space if it adds value to the mall as a whole.
(2) With regard to the importance of community and quality of the work environment: Sure, malls are horrific. But they’re also a reality. Wouldn’t creating coworking spaces in the horrific reality of a shopping mall make malls a little less horrific? To the extent you could contribute to the reinvention of malls as more human, community-focused spaces, wouldn’t it be a good thing to promote the development of a coworking space in a mall?
(3) With respect to the objection that it wouldn’t be sustainable; the kind of people drawn to coworking would not want to do it in a mall: The malls where I am right now have many fast food restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, etc.) with free bad wifi and people working away on their laptops or in business meetings, or higher end cafes where laptop workers aren’t as welcome and places to work aren’t comfortable or well suited for meaningful work or quality meetings. I would guess many of the people who work in the area or who are just there while their partners are shopping or their kids are at the movies would love a more human space to work. Yes, they’re not the people traditionally drawn to coworking, but is there room for something in between?
My big question I guess is whether there would be a way to do this that would create more than the equivalent of a hotel “business center” or an internet cafe? Would there value or demand for a community-focused workspace in a mall?
Clearly this couldn’t be an ideal community-focused and community-driven coworking space. But is there room for something between the ideal and the “business center” in a shopping mall (or airport or highway gas-station/restaurant off-ramp for that matter)? Something that would help build the sense of community and humanity in these largely community-less spaces? Could it bear the coworking name?
Hey Will,
I was just looking for an update on this, particularly in light of the retail apocalypse happening now.
What’s the word?
Patricia
···
On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 6:15:05 AM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus Workspace wrote:
Hi All,
Recently a shopping mall realtor approached me about opening a coworking space in their closed gaming zone/internet cafe. I’d love to hear opinions about this, pros and cons. Before you completely ignore this post as coming from someone who is clearly not from the same coworking planet, here is why I’m even considering it:
(1) With respect to the fact that mall real estate goes for a premium: At least where I am, a lot of shopping malls are trying to build in community/space quality features that make going to the mall (which lets face it, most people in urban areas sometimes do) a more human experience: space-taking areas like open art galleries, free indoor playgrounds, exhibition space, gardens, etc. These spaces add value/traffic to the mall as a whole, making the rentable space more valuable. This means that the mall owner may be willing to partially fund a coworking space if it adds value to the mall as a whole.
(2) With regard to the importance of community and quality of the work environment: Sure, malls are horrific. But they’re also a reality. Wouldn’t creating coworking spaces in the horrific reality of a shopping mall make malls a little less horrific? To the extent you could contribute to the reinvention of malls as more human, community-focused spaces, wouldn’t it be a good thing to promote the development of a coworking space in a mall?
(3) With respect to the objection that it wouldn’t be sustainable; the kind of people drawn to coworking would not want to do it in a mall: The malls where I am right now have many fast food restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, etc.) with free bad wifi and people working away on their laptops or in business meetings, or higher end cafes where laptop workers aren’t as welcome and places to work aren’t comfortable or well suited for meaningful work or quality meetings. I would guess many of the people who work in the area or who are just there while their partners are shopping or their kids are at the movies would love a more human space to work. Yes, they’re not the people traditionally drawn to coworking, but is there room for something in between?
My big question I guess is whether there would be a way to do this that would create more than the equivalent of a hotel “business center” or an internet cafe? Would there value or demand for a community-focused workspace in a mall?
Clearly this couldn’t be an ideal community-focused and community-driven coworking space. But is there room for something between the ideal and the “business center” in a shopping mall (or airport or highway gas-station/restaurant off-ramp for that matter)? Something that would help build the sense of community and humanity in these largely community-less spaces? Could it bear the coworking name?
I didn’t end up doing it, so can’t report anything useful.
···
On Friday, March 24, 2017 at 6:35:29 PM UTC+1, Patricia Spicuzza wrote:
Hey Will,
I was just looking for an update on this, particularly in light of the retail apocalypse happening now.
What’s the word?
Patricia
On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 6:15:05 AM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus Workspace wrote:
Hi All,
Recently a shopping mall realtor approached me about opening a coworking space in their closed gaming zone/internet cafe. I’d love to hear opinions about this, pros and cons. Before you completely ignore this post as coming from someone who is clearly not from the same coworking planet, here is why I’m even considering it:
(1) With respect to the fact that mall real estate goes for a premium: At least where I am, a lot of shopping malls are trying to build in community/space quality features that make going to the mall (which lets face it, most people in urban areas sometimes do) a more human experience: space-taking areas like open art galleries, free indoor playgrounds, exhibition space, gardens, etc. These spaces add value/traffic to the mall as a whole, making the rentable space more valuable. This means that the mall owner may be willing to partially fund a coworking space if it adds value to the mall as a whole.
(2) With regard to the importance of community and quality of the work environment: Sure, malls are horrific. But they’re also a reality. Wouldn’t creating coworking spaces in the horrific reality of a shopping mall make malls a little less horrific? To the extent you could contribute to the reinvention of malls as more human, community-focused spaces, wouldn’t it be a good thing to promote the development of a coworking space in a mall?
(3) With respect to the objection that it wouldn’t be sustainable; the kind of people drawn to coworking would not want to do it in a mall: The malls where I am right now have many fast food restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, etc.) with free bad wifi and people working away on their laptops or in business meetings, or higher end cafes where laptop workers aren’t as welcome and places to work aren’t comfortable or well suited for meaningful work or quality meetings. I would guess many of the people who work in the area or who are just there while their partners are shopping or their kids are at the movies would love a more human space to work. Yes, they’re not the people traditionally drawn to coworking, but is there room for something in between?
My big question I guess is whether there would be a way to do this that would create more than the equivalent of a hotel “business center” or an internet cafe? Would there value or demand for a community-focused workspace in a mall?
Clearly this couldn’t be an ideal community-focused and community-driven coworking space. But is there room for something between the ideal and the “business center” in a shopping mall (or airport or highway gas-station/restaurant off-ramp for that matter)? Something that would help build the sense of community and humanity in these largely community-less spaces? Could it bear the coworking name?
Will, Can you share what type of space you went to instead? Or did you not go into opening a space?
···
On Friday, March 24, 2017 at 2:30:23 PM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus Workspace wrote:
I didn’t end up doing it, so can’t report anything useful.
On Friday, March 24, 2017 at 6:35:29 PM UTC+1, Patricia Spicuzza wrote:
Hey Will,
I was just looking for an update on this, particularly in light of the retail apocalypse happening now.
What’s the word?
Patricia
On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 6:15:05 AM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus Workspace wrote:
Hi All,
Recently a shopping mall realtor approached me about opening a coworking space in their closed gaming zone/internet cafe. I’d love to hear opinions about this, pros and cons. Before you completely ignore this post as coming from someone who is clearly not from the same coworking planet, here is why I’m even considering it:
(1) With respect to the fact that mall real estate goes for a premium: At least where I am, a lot of shopping malls are trying to build in community/space quality features that make going to the mall (which lets face it, most people in urban areas sometimes do) a more human experience: space-taking areas like open art galleries, free indoor playgrounds, exhibition space, gardens, etc. These spaces add value/traffic to the mall as a whole, making the rentable space more valuable. This means that the mall owner may be willing to partially fund a coworking space if it adds value to the mall as a whole.
(2) With regard to the importance of community and quality of the work environment: Sure, malls are horrific. But they’re also a reality. Wouldn’t creating coworking spaces in the horrific reality of a shopping mall make malls a little less horrific? To the extent you could contribute to the reinvention of malls as more human, community-focused spaces, wouldn’t it be a good thing to promote the development of a coworking space in a mall?
(3) With respect to the objection that it wouldn’t be sustainable; the kind of people drawn to coworking would not want to do it in a mall: The malls where I am right now have many fast food restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, etc.) with free bad wifi and people working away on their laptops or in business meetings, or higher end cafes where laptop workers aren’t as welcome and places to work aren’t comfortable or well suited for meaningful work or quality meetings. I would guess many of the people who work in the area or who are just there while their partners are shopping or their kids are at the movies would love a more human space to work. Yes, they’re not the people traditionally drawn to coworking, but is there room for something in between?
My big question I guess is whether there would be a way to do this that would create more than the equivalent of a hotel “business center” or an internet cafe? Would there value or demand for a community-focused workspace in a mall?
Clearly this couldn’t be an ideal community-focused and community-driven coworking space. But is there room for something between the ideal and the “business center” in a shopping mall (or airport or highway gas-station/restaurant off-ramp for that matter)? Something that would help build the sense of community and humanity in these largely community-less spaces? Could it bear the coworking name?
We already had a coworking space. Was just considering another location and decided against it. Something in particular driving the question? Maybe I could answer better.
Will, Can you share what type of space you went to instead? Or did you not go into opening a space?
On Friday, March 24, 2017 at 2:30:23 PM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus Workspace wrote:
I didn’t end up doing it, so can’t report anything useful.
On Friday, March 24, 2017 at 6:35:29 PM UTC+1, Patricia Spicuzza wrote:
Hey Will,
I was just looking for an update on this, particularly in light of the retail apocalypse happening now.
What’s the word?
Patricia
On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 6:15:05 AM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus Workspace wrote:
Hi All,
Recently a shopping mall realtor approached me about opening a coworking space in their closed gaming zone/internet cafe. I’d love to hear opinions about this, pros and cons. Before you completely ignore this post as coming from someone who is clearly not from the same coworking planet, here is why I’m even considering it:
(1) With respect to the fact that mall real estate goes for a premium: At least where I am, a lot of shopping malls are trying to build in community/space quality features that make going to the mall (which lets face it, most people in urban areas sometimes do) a more human experience: space-taking areas like open art galleries, free indoor playgrounds, exhibition space, gardens, etc. These spaces add value/traffic to the mall as a whole, making the rentable space more valuable. This means that the mall owner may be willing to partially fund a coworking space if it adds value to the mall as a whole.
(2) With regard to the importance of community and quality of the work environment: Sure, malls are horrific. But they’re also a reality. Wouldn’t creating coworking spaces in the horrific reality of a shopping mall make malls a little less horrific? To the extent you could contribute to the reinvention of malls as more human, community-focused spaces, wouldn’t it be a good thing to promote the development of a coworking space in a mall?
(3) With respect to the objection that it wouldn’t be sustainable; the kind of people drawn to coworking would not want to do it in a mall: The malls where I am right now have many fast food restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, etc.) with free bad wifi and people working away on their laptops or in business meetings, or higher end cafes where laptop workers aren’t as welcome and places to work aren’t comfortable or well suited for meaningful work or quality meetings. I would guess many of the people who work in the area or who are just there while their partners are shopping or their kids are at the movies would love a more human space to work. Yes, they’re not the people traditionally drawn to coworking, but is there room for something in between?
My big question I guess is whether there would be a way to do this that would create more than the equivalent of a hotel “business center” or an internet cafe? Would there value or demand for a community-focused workspace in a mall?
Clearly this couldn’t be an ideal community-focused and community-driven coworking space. But is there room for something between the ideal and the “business center” in a shopping mall (or airport or highway gas-station/restaurant off-ramp for that matter)? Something that would help build the sense of community and humanity in these largely community-less spaces? Could it bear the coworking name?
I saw a coworking space when we were in Rio earlier this year. It was small but in use. There was a Starbucks nearby and they were one a few mall merchants apparently sponsoring the space. I’m guessing it was empty retail space that they wanted to use to attract more people into the mall. It made me think about doing something like that near our space (there is a cool warehouse with lots of restaurants that our members go to for lunch) but I ended up realizing that our members went there to escape work for a while.
On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 6:15:05 AM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus Workspace wrote:
Hi All,
Recently a shopping mall realtor approached me about opening a coworking space in their closed gaming zone/internet cafe. I’d love to hear opinions about this, pros and cons. Before you completely ignore this post as coming from someone who is clearly not from the same coworking planet, here is why I’m even considering it:
(1) With respect to the fact that mall real estate goes for a premium: At least where I am, a lot of shopping malls are trying to build in community/space quality features that make going to the mall (which lets face it, most people in urban areas sometimes do) a more human experience: space-taking areas like open art galleries, free indoor playgrounds, exhibition space, gardens, etc. These spaces add value/traffic to the mall as a whole, making the rentable space more valuable. This means that the mall owner may be willing to partially fund a coworking space if it adds value to the mall as a whole.
(2) With regard to the importance of community and quality of the work environment: Sure, malls are horrific. But they’re also a reality. Wouldn’t creating coworking spaces in the horrific reality of a shopping mall make malls a little less horrific? To the extent you could contribute to the reinvention of malls as more human, community-focused spaces, wouldn’t it be a good thing to promote the development of a coworking space in a mall?
(3) With respect to the objection that it wouldn’t be sustainable; the kind of people drawn to coworking would not want to do it in a mall: The malls where I am right now have many fast food restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, etc.) with free bad wifi and people working away on their laptops or in business meetings, or higher end cafes where laptop workers aren’t as welcome and places to work aren’t comfortable or well suited for meaningful work or quality meetings. I would guess many of the people who work in the area or who are just there while their partners are shopping or their kids are at the movies would love a more human space to work. Yes, they’re not the people traditionally drawn to coworking, but is there room for something in between?
My big question I guess is whether there would be a way to do this that would create more than the equivalent of a hotel “business center” or an internet cafe? Would there value or demand for a community-focused workspace in a mall?
Clearly this couldn’t be an ideal community-focused and community-driven coworking space. But is there room for something between the ideal and the “business center” in a shopping mall (or airport or highway gas-station/restaurant off-ramp for that matter)? Something that would help build the sense of community and humanity in these largely community-less spaces? Could it bear the coworking name?
On Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 11:54:31 AM UTC-4, Katharine Chestnut wrote:
I saw a coworking space when we were in Rio earlier this year. It was small but in use. There was a Starbucks nearby and they were one a few mall merchants apparently sponsoring the space. I’m guessing it was empty retail space that they wanted to use to attract more people into the mall. It made me think about doing something like that near our space (there is a cool warehouse with lots of restaurants that our members go to for lunch) but I ended up realizing that our members went there to escape work for a while.
On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 6:15:05 AM UTC-4, Will Bennis, Locus Workspace wrote:
Hi All,
Recently a shopping mall realtor approached me about opening a coworking space in their closed gaming zone/internet cafe. I’d love to hear opinions about this, pros and cons. Before you completely ignore this post as coming from someone who is clearly not from the same coworking planet, here is why I’m even considering it:
(1) With respect to the fact that mall real estate goes for a premium: At least where I am, a lot of shopping malls are trying to build in community/space quality features that make going to the mall (which lets face it, most people in urban areas sometimes do) a more human experience: space-taking areas like open art galleries, free indoor playgrounds, exhibition space, gardens, etc. These spaces add value/traffic to the mall as a whole, making the rentable space more valuable. This means that the mall owner may be willing to partially fund a coworking space if it adds value to the mall as a whole.
(2) With regard to the importance of community and quality of the work environment: Sure, malls are horrific. But they’re also a reality. Wouldn’t creating coworking spaces in the horrific reality of a shopping mall make malls a little less horrific? To the extent you could contribute to the reinvention of malls as more human, community-focused spaces, wouldn’t it be a good thing to promote the development of a coworking space in a mall?
(3) With respect to the objection that it wouldn’t be sustainable; the kind of people drawn to coworking would not want to do it in a mall: The malls where I am right now have many fast food restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, etc.) with free bad wifi and people working away on their laptops or in business meetings, or higher end cafes where laptop workers aren’t as welcome and places to work aren’t comfortable or well suited for meaningful work or quality meetings. I would guess many of the people who work in the area or who are just there while their partners are shopping or their kids are at the movies would love a more human space to work. Yes, they’re not the people traditionally drawn to coworking, but is there room for something in between?
My big question I guess is whether there would be a way to do this that would create more than the equivalent of a hotel “business center” or an internet cafe? Would there value or demand for a community-focused workspace in a mall?
Clearly this couldn’t be an ideal community-focused and community-driven coworking space. But is there room for something between the ideal and the “business center” in a shopping mall (or airport or highway gas-station/restaurant off-ramp for that matter)? Something that would help build the sense of community and humanity in these largely community-less spaces? Could it bear the coworking name?
Will, Fort Collins recently renovated our entire mall–unfortunately, the retail apocalypse has hit
I take my daughter to gymnastics there every week so I have an hour to wander. They have this amazing central seating area with a firewall and great natural light. I’ve starting trying out pop-up coworking to see if anyone will nibble. Pop-up Coworking: at Mall
Major shortfall I see already is that there is no coffee shop in this entire mall complex, which seems criminal. They located all the food places outside of the main mall building–also a crime. Anyway, I’ll be there today coworking (possibly uni-working) by the fire
On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 4:15:05 AM UTC-6, Will Bennis, Locus Workspace wrote:
Hi All,
Recently a shopping mall realtor approached me about opening a coworking space in their closed gaming zone/internet cafe. I’d love to hear opinions about this, pros and cons. Before you completely ignore this post as coming from someone who is clearly not from the same coworking planet, here is why I’m even considering it:
(1) With respect to the fact that mall real estate goes for a premium: At least where I am, a lot of shopping malls are trying to build in community/space quality features that make going to the mall (which lets face it, most people in urban areas sometimes do) a more human experience: space-taking areas like open art galleries, free indoor playgrounds, exhibition space, gardens, etc. These spaces add value/traffic to the mall as a whole, making the rentable space more valuable. This means that the mall owner may be willing to partially fund a coworking space if it adds value to the mall as a whole.
(2) With regard to the importance of community and quality of the work environment: Sure, malls are horrific. But they’re also a reality. Wouldn’t creating coworking spaces in the horrific reality of a shopping mall make malls a little less horrific? To the extent you could contribute to the reinvention of malls as more human, community-focused spaces, wouldn’t it be a good thing to promote the development of a coworking space in a mall?
(3) With respect to the objection that it wouldn’t be sustainable; the kind of people drawn to coworking would not want to do it in a mall: The malls where I am right now have many fast food restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, etc.) with free bad wifi and people working away on their laptops or in business meetings, or higher end cafes where laptop workers aren’t as welcome and places to work aren’t comfortable or well suited for meaningful work or quality meetings. I would guess many of the people who work in the area or who are just there while their partners are shopping or their kids are at the movies would love a more human space to work. Yes, they’re not the people traditionally drawn to coworking, but is there room for something in between?
My big question I guess is whether there would be a way to do this that would create more than the equivalent of a hotel “business center” or an internet cafe? Would there value or demand for a community-focused workspace in a mall?
Clearly this couldn’t be an ideal community-focused and community-driven coworking space. But is there room for something between the ideal and the “business center” in a shopping mall (or airport or highway gas-station/restaurant off-ramp for that matter)? Something that would help build the sense of community and humanity in these largely community-less spaces? Could it bear the coworking name?
