Co-working Spaces are the Hottest Way to Find New Friends, Flexibility

    These days, the buzzword among freelancers, remote employees, salespeople and entrepreneurs can be summed up in one word: Co-working.

    Bamboo Detroit
    Bamboo Detroit

    Having a space where you can make calls, create content, bounce ideas off of other people and share a cuppa joe is appealing to people of a variety of ages and experience levels, researchers from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business say.

    U-M Ross Prof. Gretchen Spreitzer and Ross PhD student Lyndon Garrett have been studying this co-working trend, and they say early results show that people who otherwise felt isolated felt more productive and tended to thrive in co-working environments.

    Grand Circus
    Grand Circus

    There are a variety of examples of co-working spaces in Michigan. Some are more traditional with cubicles, shared copying machines and the like. Others show off the latest trends in furniture design, dramatic décor and even allow space for canine best friends to play during the work day.

    Here are four examples of co-working spaces in Detroit and little about each one. Most charge a small fee for using the space, and there are rules about how to keep the place running smoothly.

    Bamboo Detroit: This creative co-working space opened in July 2013. Its location at 1442 Brush Street makes it ideal for work and play because it is just blocks away from Greektown, Comerica Park and a bunch of bars and restaurants. It is aimed at entrepreneurs, freelancers and small teams, providing office space and conference rooms. Bamboo Detroit also holds regular events, such as its Michigan Made Happy Hour featuring locally produced products such as Faygo on first Tuesdays. Prices start at $99 per month.

     

    OmniCorpDetroit
    OmniCorpDetroit

    Grand Circus: Grand Circus is a training institute in the heart of downtown Detroit that says its mission is to elevate the tech community. Along with training, its co-working space at 1570 Woodward Avenue has room for about 50 entrepreneurs to work together on their high-tech dreams. The space, open since September 2013, has a variety of plans available. A monthly dedicated desk for $400 or undedicated space for $150. Or there is a punch-card System: 10 visits for $300, 20 visits for $500, 40 visits for $750.

    Junction440: TechTown Detroit, a venerable business accelerator and incubator, opened Junction440 in January 2014. The open space is located on the first floor of the historic 440 Burroughs Street building in Midtown. Entrepreneurs can select from a range of membership options, including day passes for $20, 10-pass punch cards for $150 and monthly memberships for $250 or $375 with a dedicated desk.

     

    Junction440
    Junction440

    OmniCorpDetroit: OmniCorpDetroit describes itself as a group of designers, artists, engineers, musicians, thinkers, do-ers and makers that get together to build new things as well as share and collaborate within the Detroit community. Around since 2009, OCD is located at 1501 East Division inside a repurposed industrial building in Eastern Market. OCD is what is known as a hackerspace, where people work together to break down and rebuild ideas and things in a supportive environment. To work there, OCD charges a $100 initiation fee; most of its spaces go for $95 per month.

    Tell us where you are co-working these days and we’ll share its story and pictures.